Follow Us on Google
The people of Elikpokwuodu village in Rukpokwu community of Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have protested against land grabbing and encouragement of their communal land by the TAF City, a company building housing units along airport road in Port Harcourt.
Community leaders comprising Chiefs, Women, Elders and youths are calling on the chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr. Gift Wordu, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come to their aid over activity of land speculators and the ‘encroachment’ TAP City is doing on their ancestral land.
Spokesperson of the community, Chief Mekini Ordu, recalled during the protest that last year, they saw TAP City entrenching into their land, and the community quickly alerted the Authority of the Greater Port Harcourt City and was assured by the authority that there was nothing to worry or fear about.
He expressed displeasure of the community over activity of TAP City in the community, saying that despite repeated appeals to the state government and relevant authority, for Tap City to restrict themselves to the parcels of land that was given to the state government in 2005, about 20 years ago, the company had failed to abide by the warning hence, the continued appeals for the matter not to escalate out of control.
Chief Mekini maintained that as a law abiding community, they had spoken as well written to the attorney general and surveyor general of Rivers State after due diligence to avoid any mistakes with available evidence in the land government acquired some years back.
Other News
He, however, regretted that in spite of the calls, it became obvious that TAP City does not want to see reason to stop your encroachment into their land.
Another community leader, Chief Dr. Joe Mgbakiri, condemned the activity of TAP City into the land called “Ohia Igogo” saying despite interfacing with relevant authority, the state surveyor general, Peter Ogolo, had told the community that their land was not acquired because “There is no way anyone will acquire their property (land) without compensation.”
He claimed that the government and relevant authorities are refusing to come to their rescue in the hands of lands percolator, which means there will be no place to farm, plant, fish or even where to build houses in the future.
Also speaking, an indigene of Elikpokwuodu community, Emmanuel Taibot, said: “This is all the land the community has for farming, which your forefathers handed over to them and different communities owned their own portion of land, Government had never come to them to acquire any of this place, alleged that some individuals in the community are connivers with land grabbers to take over their land which will not be acceptable”.
The Greater TAF City, firm managing the government estate could not be reached as at the time of filing the report, as no official at their office in Obiri-Ikwerre Airport Road was willing to respond to inquiry.
