A hotelier in Anambra State, Malachy Chukwu, has reportedly committed suicide over demolition of his property.
Chukwu took his life after discovering that his hotel had been demolished by suspected youths of Ifite-Nteje community in Oyi Local Government Area of the state .
Following the demolition and suicide, members of the Divine Heaven Amalgamated Landlords Association, Ifite-Nteje in Oyi LGA on Saturday protested against the destruction of their property by suspected youths of the community.
The protesters, comprising men and women, said several buildings, including the hotel located on the Chinua Achebe Airport Road Ifite-Nteje, worth billions were allegedly destroyed by a group parading themselves as the executive members of Ifite-Nteje Development Union.
Chairman of the association, Chief Patrick Maduegbuna, appealed for Governor Charles Soludo’s intervention to avoid total breakdown of law and order.
“The transaction took place in 2019 and the association started developing the place after payment. But all of a sudden, they started demolishing our property. They are saying the land deal had been revoked. They demolished houses, hotel and other buildings nearing completion.
“We called them to know what was the matter, they said we did not buy the land correctly, that we should buy it again and add money.
“We chose to protest rather than taking the law into our own hands. There are more than seven estates there. All we want is to have our property back,” he stated.
The association’s Secretary, Mr Nwako Maduka, said the landlords paid all the required dues and the documents were signed by the same people allegedly trying to revoke the land genuinely sold to them.
Chairman, Ifite-Nteje land management committee, Chief Ikechukwu Erikeife, said some young men who sold their plots were making efforts to sell the same land for the second time, noting that land grabbing to make money at all cost was the source of confusion in Ifite-Nteje.
He said that the parcels of land were acquired by the developers through the right source, promising to look into the situation as the protesters could not afford to buy the land for the second time.
But Secretary of ifite-Nteje land management committee, Mr Ngoesina Okechukwu, described those behind the allegations as meddlesome interlopers, saying Ifite-Nteje community has a way of hoisting leadership in a traditional way.
Okechukwu, a lawyer, said the estate developers followed the due process in the acquisition of the land from Ifite-Nteje.
He said: “I was in Abuja and heard about the protest organised by the opposition, who were claiming to be executive members of Ifite-Nteje Development Union.
“The same group was said to have claimed they had abolished the Ifite-Nteje land management committee and revoked the land sold to the landlords association.
“The Ifite-Nteje land management committee is a body constituted by the community with power of attorney which could sue and be sued.
“The court had taken judicial notice of the land committee as representative of Ifite-Nteje in so many cases, securing judgement for the entire Nteje community,” he explained.
It was gathered that about 70 associations acquired the vast land occupying strategic position along the airport road with most of the buildings destroyed at various stages of completion.
