By Ijeoma Umeh
Benin City – Parties in land dispute have been advised to be reasonable in their demands in order to create veritable leeway for settlement.
Hon Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga(Retd), Chairman, Edo State Private Properties Protection Committee gave this admonition today, Tuesday, May 2 during the Committee’s sitting in Government House, Benin City.
The Honourable Justice
admonished Parties to uphold the tenets of peace rather than the pursuit of transient benefits in making their claims.
The Committee’s admonition flowed from the claims of a Petitioner(name witheld) who was making a demand to the tune of #2.5m as compensation for her encroached land, this is while the Respondent was offering to pay the sum of #500 thousand Naira only, and in two instalments.
The land in dispute, measuring 50ft by 100ft and situate at Okabere Community, was bought by the Petitioner in 1977 while it was situate in Okaniro Community, as it was then known, and she also informed the Committee that she had interred her mother in the land. Meanwhile, the Respondent had bought the land during the interregnum occasioned by a boundary dispute, built and completed a structure and moved into it in 2020.
The Petitioner told the Committee that a boundary dispute had arisen between the Okabere and Okaniro Communities which affected the situation of the land and that she was later made to pay the sum of #700 in order to reclaim her property from the new Community to which it was ceded.
On his part, the Respondent stated he had also paid the sum of #500 thousand to the Okabere Community who had laid claim to the land as a result of the boundary dispute.
The Committee advised the Petitioner to adjust the amount demanded in order for the Respondent to offset it without further ado, and for both parties to end their feud.
“Both of you should go back, find a middle cause and resolve the grey matters regarding the compensation package.” The Committee Chairman stated.
The Honourable Justice also admonished the Respondent’s children on building the bonds of peace and leaving a legacy of harmonious living among the generation unborn.
“You and the Respondent were impacted negatively by circumstances beyond your immediate control, talking of dispute over boundary. No need to suffer double jeopardy. That sum of money is not cast in stone. You can make the demand a little more reasonable so that this matter will be amicably resolved. ”
Both parties agreed to a truce.
The matter was adjourned till June 6.
Sitting continues in Benin City.
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