A property dispute has erupted in Enugu after Mrs. Patricia Nwobodo, wife of former governor of the old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo, demolished buildings belonging to businessman Dr. Basil Kenechukwu Ogbuanu at Independence Villa Estate in the city.
The demolition, which occurred between Sunday night and Monday morning, reportedly involved several duplexes at different stages of construction.
When journalists visited the site on Monday, armed police officers believed to be from the state tactical squad and a group of suspected thugs were stationed around the property while an excavator continued the demolition.
Buildings already completed, others at roofing stage and several under construction were pulled down.
Speaking to journalists, Ogbuanu described the action as intimidation and an attempt to dispossess him of land he said he legally purchased from the Nwobodo family.
Ogbuanu, the Managing Director of Second Coming Nigeria Limited and owner of Energy 105.5 FM, said the dispute began in 2021 when he bought Plot R/22 from Linkana Hotels Limited, a company he said is owned by the former governor.
“Sometime in 2021, I purchased a piece or parcel of land, Plot R/22, from Linkana Hotels Limited whose Chairman/Managing Director is Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo at the cost of N85 million,” he said.
“When I went to develop the land in 2022, I observed that it had been fenced in at the behest of His Excellency’s wife on the pretext that His Excellency would build his homestead there,” he said.
Ogbuanu said the issue was later resolved through an agreement in which he was relocated to Plots R/18 and R/19 in exchange for the original plot.
“A memorandum of understanding was executed by His Excellency and his wife to effect the exchange of Plot R/22 with Plots R/18 and R/19, and I was issued documents of title by Linkana Hotels Limited,” he said.
He added that he later bought two additional plots, R/20 and R/21, located behind the replacement plots, for N160 million.
However, he claimed that despite repeated requests, he was never issued title documents for the two additional plots.
Ogbuanu said he initially planned to develop all four plots but eventually started construction on Plots R/18 and R/19 after delays in obtaining documents for the others.
He said that before commencing construction, he visited the former governor with a ram to seek his blessing.
“I visited His Excellency in the presence of his wife with a big live ram to seek his blessings towards commencing work on the plots, which he graciously gave me,” he said.
According to him, construction was initially halted by officials from the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority due to issues relating to building approvals but resumed after he regularised the documentation.
He alleged that Mrs. Nwobodo had repeatedly threatened to demolish the buildings unless he agreed to accept a refund of the money he paid for the land.
“She has consistently threatened that she will pull down my building unless I agree to a refund of the money I paid for the land,” he said.
Ogbuanu described the demolition as unlawful and called on Peter Mbah to intervene.
“The idea of using agencies of government to achieve this objective in the absence of any order of court is vile and a clear enthronement of anarchy,” he said.
“I plead with the governor to caution His Excellency and his wife and restrain them from destroying my property.”
However, Mrs. Nwobodo confirmed the demolition through her media aide, Mr. Dennis Agbo.
Agbo said the buildings were demolished because the property had allegedly become a criminal hideout.
“The property was demolished because it was being used as a criminal hideout,” he said.
He added that the owner had earlier been asked to collect a refund of the money paid for the land.
“The owner of the property has been asked to come and take the money he paid for the property, but he refused. We told him that we are no longer interested in selling the property to him, but he refused to come and collect his money,” he said.
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