By Ijeoma Umeh
Benin City – The Edo State Private Properties Protection Committee headed by Hon. Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga (Retd) hears and takes solid decisions over several dicey Land Grabbing cases in order to restore peace and sanity in Edo communities.
Yesterday, Monday, October 30 was one of such days when land grabbing matters transcended the normal, while disputations over communal boundaries simmered in one community to another.
Perhaps, even the spirits of communal heads and elders long dead and resting peacefully in their graves appeared to be awakened to stand as witnesses to transactions long forgotten, or so it seemed.
A Petitioner, Mr Genesis Inibhumu had brought his prayers before the Edo State Private Properties Protection Committee, seeking to recover four Plots of land he said he bought in 2021 from one Etiosa Ighodaro, described as a prominent member of Iyowa Community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Meanwhile, the Petitioner appeared before the Committee yesterday without a witness from Iyowa community with him. However, that was a non-issue till further notice.
The issue was, another community, the Eko-Abetu, was laying claim to the land in question, stating it fell into their boundary areas.
To prove their case, the Eko-Abetu people were fully represented by some well positioned elders, including the Odionwere, Pa Agbontaen Aiyamekhue, Solomon Ikuvbogie, Solomon Falodun, Secretary and Felix Aiyeni, third elder in the ranking.
Looking at the merits of the case, the Edo State Private Properties Protection Committee considered the possibility that the four Plots in question may have actually fallen into the boundary areas of Eko-Abetu.
The elders of Eko-Abetu were therefore thoroughly quizzed on the proximity between their community and Iyowa community.
There was a twist during the interrogation of elders of Eko-Abetu community when the Committee discovered that another community, Iguovemwen, is allegedly well situated between Iyowa and Eko-Abetu communities.
To further prove their case, the Eko-Abetu elders came armed with a letter purported to have been written by one Pa Samson Obazee, Odionwere of Iyowa community, stating that the land actually belonged to Eko-Abetu community.
Now, members of the Committee interrogated the Petitioner on how his four Plots of land managed to traverse beyond two communities, passing Iguovemwen to be situated on Iyowa community.
The Hon. Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga headed Committee did not mince words in informing the Petitioner that the onus is on Iyowa community to appear before the Committee to prove that the area where the Petitioner’s land is situate actually belongs to Iyowa community.
Meanwhile, the Eko-Abetu people also stated that a petition they wrote in 2021 had taken the same matter of boundary ownership to court, to the Palace of the Oba of Benin and to the Edo State House of Assembly and that the matter went up to the Supreme Court where it was still being considered.
They also stated that the crux of the matter began when fathers of old farmed across boundaries resulting in several disagreements over boundary ownership. They maintained that Iyowa community encroached on land belonging to Eko-Abetu.
At the end of the hearing and after looking at some documents tendered, the Committee directed both parties to appear in the next adjourned date with all relevant witnesses and valid documents, and particularly directed that Mr Samson Obazee, Odionwere of Iyowa community and other elders from that community should appear to bear witness.
Both parties are also directed to go with the Investigative Police Team to look at the exact place where the land is situated.
The case was adjourned till November 21.
Sitting continues in Benin City.