By Onomiguren Agbamu
Delta State Government, Tuesday, said the state Government is not witch-hunting anybody, that it would not allow land grabbers take away lands belonging to the Dennis Osadebay University, Anwai-Asaba.
The Chairman State Taskforce on Recovery of Government Lands, Chief Frank Omare, stated this while speaking to journalists in Asaba.
Omare, who was flanked by members of the committee at the site of the ongoing demolition of illegal structures at ‘Musa Camp,’ Asaba, lamented that land grabbers had, unfortunately, chased the school authority from their own land.
According to him, the land belongs to the university, and it was one of the prerequisites for the accreditation of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University.
“The government is not doing this to hurt anybody because an approval to build does not confer ownership of land on anyone.
“The government officials that gave them building approvals are in trouble with the state government. We are looking for the land grabbers because you cannot be deceiving responsible Nigerians in these hard times.
“They deceive unsuspecting members of the public that the land belongs to the community. They sell and use the money to build wonderful houses.
“Yes, times are very hard, but there are laws and what we are doing is enforcing the law to recover this land from the grabbers.”
Omare said the demolition action was a state government directive and not meant to witch-hunt anybody.
The taskforce Chairman frowned at the activities of some government officials who allegedly encouraged the land grabbers, adding that the long arm of the law would soon catch up with them.
“We are aware that top government functionaries are encouraging the land grabbers to continue to undermine the government . This is unacceptable because, we don’t encourage people to mislead poor people.
“When we turn in our report, you will see that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is doing everything possible to accommodate Deltans but through the proper way.
“This is a government land for the University. Once government takes a decision it may be slow, but surely, it will come to pass.”
