By Jethro Ibileke/Benin
The people of Amagba Community have hailed Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, over the revocation of the Certificate of Occupancy of an 18-hectare land, belonging to a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
They gave the applause in a statement on Sunday, signed by the community head, Joseph Iduoriyekemwen, Elder Victor Algbe, Elder O. Igblnidu, Monday lduoriyekemwen and Elder John Eware.
Located in Oredo Local Government Area, Amagba is a surbub community of Benin City.
It would be recalled that the State Government had claimed that it revoked the C-of-O of the said property in the interest of the public.
The Amagba people alleged in their statement that the former Governorship candidate of the APC, deceitfully accuired the land on the guise that he wanted to build an agricultural institution on it.
They further alleged that Ize-Iyamu having been left the property unused and has become a den of criminals, posing severe security and safety threat to women, children and the entire people of community.
The statement reads:
“We, the indigenes of Amagba Community in Oredo Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State, wish to express our appreciation to Governor Godwin Obasekl for listening and hearkening to our pleas expressed in the various protest letters written to him on the Injustice and oppression meted on us by Osagie izelyamu.
“We are indeed grateful for the Governor‘s intervention and move to revoke the Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) on a land measuring over 18 hectares, which was dublously taken from us some time ago by the said individual.
“We hereby state, without equivocation that the said expanse of land, amounting to over 18 hectares did not wholly belong to Ize-Iyamu, because portions of it were allocated to other individuals.
“The portion of the land within the 18 hectares to which Ize-Iyamu laid claim, hitherto awarded to him by the community, has since been revoked by the people and leaders of Amagba, after several letters by the people and a final letter written to him by the legal representative of the Amagba Community.
“As a community, we decided to withdraw the large expanse of land over which lze-lyamu sat, under the guise of setting up an agricultural institution to create jobs as well as open up the area for increased economic activities.
“It turned out that Ize-Iyamu only used the proposed agricultural institution to deceitfully acquire the land from the community, because in fact, there has never been any activity on the said parcel for these many years.
“Rather, the place, having been left unused, has become a den of criminals, posing severe security and safety threat to women, children and the entire people of Amagba Community.
“It is important to emphasize that, even before the community began to solicit the intervention of the Governor, several engagements have been ongoing to draw lze-Iyamu’s attention to the need to vacate the said property, having failed to put it to use for the purpose for which it was allocated.
“We have, over the years, endured the pain and agony of the domination of Mr. Ize-Iyamu, who has depended on his political clout and connection with successive governments, to deprive us of the purposeful use of our land and also put our lives in danger, having Ieft such a vast land unused in the midst of a thriving community, thereby making the land a cover for armed robbers, rapists, hoodlums, among others.
“We are therefore immensely grateful to his Excellency, Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, for his intervention in revoking the land title and opening up opportunities for the land to be used by government to advance the development of Amagba community and its environs.”