Another death due to shock as FHA demolish houses at Abule-Odo

 

Another death due to shock

Another land owner, Chibuike Ikemefuna, whose undeveloped land was also taken, said his neighbour lost his life when the demolition started.

“My neighbour, after the first time they came, died. I begged them to take my own land and leave his because he had just built on his. They refused.

“Another victim has not picked up anybody’s call since the day his house was demolished. He fell ill immediately and he is 58 years old,” said sadly.

He added that some of the victims who are young men might recover but the older ones may not survive.

Another tenant in the area, Chibuzo Ugochuwkwu, told reporters that although his house was not demolished, his fence was brought down because the agency found that it was too close to the road.

Attempts to speak to some other tenants in the area proved abortive as they refused to speak, but a builder working in the area, who mistook our correspondent as one searching for a house advised, “If you are looking for a house to rent in this area, better ask the landlord if the house has allocation number first.”

A man, Osas Idiagi, who introduced himself as a brother to the owner of a house in Ado Royal Estate, also told our correspondents that his fence was demolished leaving the main building porous because there was an apartment building on the fence, which was seen and as a violation of FHA regulation.

A resident of King’s Estate, Mrs Nneka Uzor, whose building was likewise demolished, described the despair she felt after discovering that the building her husband started building in January had been demolished.

“We have a platform in the estate and we have been talking about the situation ever since they came to mark different people’s houses here. It is very sad. I believe there will be another meeting with the landlords by 6 pm this evening.

“I think they started demolishing buildings at the beginning of this week. We don’t know why the government wants to collect the land. It is not our fault, and we don’t have any power to fight the government.

 “Just early this year, my husband bought the land. Unfortunately, we have not even completed the structure since we started and the FHA has already destroyed the building. Now the money for the land and millions invested has been wasted. We have been living in this house for a while and we planned to move into our own house this year.

“This situation is terrible and we don’t even know what to do about it. All the landlords in this area have always been meeting since the beginning of the week to discuss what can be done,” she said amidst tears.

Uzor said several houses of people she knew had also been pulled down.

“Just this morning, I got a message from my brother-in-law, who told me that he wants to rent an apartment because his house along the army area in Abule-Odo was among those demolished. He is currently not feeling too well and has spent a lot of money on his health. House rent around this time is going to be very expensive,” she added.

In a video posted on Facebook on Friday, a man who gave his name as Chimobi Ezenwa, said his estate, estimated to be worth N300 million, was also demolished.

“I am Chimobi Ezenwa, and I am one of the victims of the ongoing demolition here in Abule Ado, Lagos. My property has been completely destroyed without any warning or notice. Even if I didn’t possess an FHA allocation, I would have willingly paid for the land reclamation if that’s what it took,” he said.