No fewer than 21 lock-up shops and shanties built along drainage channels and also obstructing access road, were on Tuesday demolished in parts of Onitsha and Obosi in Idemili North LGA of Anambra State.
The demolition exercise was carried out by the men of Anambra State Joint Task Force on Demolition of Illegal Structures at Odume Obosi road, by Nigeria Army Cantonment Junction.
It was observed that the Anambra State Physical Planning Board, ANSPPB had in a court order to the traders dated June 08, 2023, told the owners to dismantle the shops to safeguard their goods and materials from demolition.
Also, the team partly demolished a building at Amako Ogbukaiyi drive, Federal housing estate, Onitsha.
Speaking to journalists after the exercises, the task force leader, Barr Chike Maduekwe, revealed that some of the affected shops were built under high tension cables, and several notices had been given before.
“Somebody just erected shops under a high tension, blocking an exit route of a petrol station, and it has been there for a long time. We have been giving several notice but they refused to go”
“It took someone going to court to get an order of mandamus, but even with that, the people continue doing their business there, not obeying the order,” he said.
Maduekwe further mentioned that the owner of the shops had allegedly approached the court to stop the order.
He however, said they have to remove the structures because they have a judgement in court, adding that unless it is set aside, a notice of appeal does not operate as stay of execution.
Also, during the exercise, a building was partially demolished by the team at Amako Ogbukaiyi drive, Federal housing estate, Onitsha, because it was built on a land approved by the government for another developer.
“This was a land given to someone to develop, paid for and his Certificate of Occupancy. He had started the building foundation, but stopped for a while, but before he came back someone has built on it and decked it.
“Unfortunately, when we got there, we met someone who was a scouter in there, but we have to do our job. We understand his condition, he has a stroke, but we told him to leave, because there is no way we can bring down the roof on him, because we understand that his children had gone to school,” he added.
Madueke also appealed to residents of the state and developers and building owners in the state to desist from erecting buildings without approval from authorities.
He said, “The objective of the enforcement is to remove all illegal structures in the state, and Governor Chukwuma Soludo has left nobody in doubt about his commitment to transform the state
“The level of impunity by developers in the state is very high because they don’t want to come for approval, and if a building is not approved, then it may not be consistent with the plans of government for that area.”
He emphasized that “government will charge the defaulters to court, because it is costing government a lot of money to carry out the enforcement exercises.
Meanwhile, one of the affected traders at Odume Obosi, Mr Michael Iteshi, who spoke to our correspondent, faulted the action of the team, saying the landlord of the shops had approached the court to appeal the court order to demolish his property, but government insist on the demolition.
“Actually, the enforcement for this demolition came unannounced.
“About a week ago, they came with a court order that this area should be demolished, and I reported to our landlord, but the landlord showed us a copy of a letter appealing the order, to stay execution, but it was not complied with.
“I was expecting that government should have waited for the case to be heard in court before carrying out this operation,” he lamented.
