By Ken Asinobi
The Executive Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Chief Hon. Obarilomate Ollor, has named several individuals allegedly involved in illegal land grabbing and ordered them to immediately withdraw from all disputed ancestral lands within the council area, warning that anyone who defies the directive will face the full weight of the law.
Speaking at a press conference at the Eleme Local Government Council Secretariat on Thursday, Ollor alleged that the suspects, working with armed thugs, mercenaries and some real estate interests, had been engaging in the forceful invasion of ancestral lands along the Woji–Aleto – Alesa Link Road, the Agbonchia–Akpajo axis of the Port Harcourt Ring Road and other parts of Eleme.
He accused them of terrorising residents, assaulting landowners, extorting farmers and unlawfully grading and selling land to unsuspecting members of the public.
The council identified the alleged collaborators as Martins Ala (Don Amadi Boy) and his gang, Kingsley Udo Akpan and his associates, Kelechi Uzorma, Bullus and his gang, John Opobo, Emeka Ibe, Mark Anthony, Christopher Ogolo and Mr. Anderson Pepe.
The chairman directed them to cease all activities on Eleme land and vacate the affected areas immediately or risk prosecution.
In a related development, the council summoned 23 real estate companies operating within Eleme Local Government Area to appear before the local government and clarify the legal status of their operations and approvals.
The affected firms include Mercy of Mercy Land Properties, Royal Echelon (Entero Homes), Navitals, Kings Estate, Rainbow Heritage Company, Capital City, Nemteras Estate, Mayor of Housing Group, Apple Garden Estate, Tech-City Developers, Alesa Highland Sustainable Smart City, The Marquis Commercial District (a developer of Velox Homes), Swisszaco Estate (Swiss Garden), Regain Hope Properties Limited (Goodwill Estate), Daminabo Integrated Services, Crystal City Estate, Terra Estates, Riv Courts Estate, Grace Pool Estate, The Meridian Estate, Grace Water Estates, Regal Enclave Estate and New Refinery Estate.
Ollor warned that any company that fails to report to the council and provide evidence of the necessary approvals would face appropriate legal action.
He also disclosed that an Executive Order had been signed suspending all real estate activities in Eleme pending a comprehensive review, while calling on security agencies to investigate the activities of alleged land grabbing syndicates and restore law and order. He reaffirmed the council’s commitment to protecting Eleme’s ancestral lands, insisting that the government would not surrender “even an inch” of its heritage to criminal elements.