23rd July 2018
Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Anambra State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Uchenna Okafor, has said that the reason the state government took over the land belonging to the Traders at the Nkpor New Auto Motor Spare Parts market was to sack criminals hiding in the area to commit crime.
The land was located along the Onitsha/Enugu Expressway, Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area.
Okafor described as ‘untrue, false and unfounded’, the allegation making the rounds that the state government had taken over the landed property of the traders, saying that the land actually belonged to the traders, but for the overriding public interest of the generality of the people, the state government had to convert the area to modern park to scare away criminals in the area.
The commissioner stated this when he visited the traders at the market led by Chief Elysius Ozorkwere.
He appealled to the traders to shun any action capable of bring crisis over nothing, saying , “We are not fighting for your land, we are not interested in your land.
“According to the survey plan, the land remains your land. We have not shown any interest to take it and if we need it, your chairman and executives have no power to sell land to government.
“I know it is the opposition that is saying that the state government has taken over your land. Every government has opposition”.
He reminded them that government has the power to revoke any land in the state and pay compensation if need be for the overriding interest of the people.
Okafor continued, “Where ever we think criminals use as a hideout we go and beautify the place. So in this your land we have plan to construct a park in it, we are not going to erect any structure there, it is to sanitise it, sack criminals, maintain orderliness, install lights and ensure cleanliness”.
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