By Ijeoma Umeh
Benin City – It was an emotionally charged moment yesterday when a 69-year old Petitioner, a widow, Madam Susie Allegrini, fell to the ground during hearing and wept uncontrollably.
The Edo State Private Properties Protection Committee sitting in Government House, Benin City had told the Respondents that they did not have any proof to support their claim to ownership of the land in contention and should therefore “end the Petitioner’s misery.”
The Petitioner, Susie Allegrini, had in a petition, appealed to the Committee to intervene in the matter to enable her recover her land which the Respondents were laying claim to.
The Petitioner stated that she had bought the land, measuring 489.582 hectares, in the year 1989 for the sum of #7,300 and had all the necessary title documents, including a survey plan, payment for crops and “Emolu” levy for the period in question.
The Petitioner recalled several circumstances surrounding how she, in company of her British husband, Mr Allegrini, came before the community elders and bought the vast land in Ogunmwenyi community after Ekiadolor village in 1989.
She noted she farmed on the land with her son until the alleged conspiracy to seize it from her family started.
She told the Committee that she got to her vast farm land one day in 2021 to continue her farming activities when she discovered that the farmland had been cleared of all farm produce planted therein and she was chased out of the land by youths who wielded dangerous weapons.
On enquiry, she was directed to the Odionwere who made her to pay some money and assured her the issues will be resolved. She stated she later learnt that the land was sold for #29m by Pa Benson Okoro, second Respondent.
The Committee inspected the documents the Petitioner had tendered before it, and members took turns to severally interrogate the Petitioner on the content of the documents tendered.
The scrutiny included making her mention the listed four signatories on the deed of transfer, one of them included Pa Osaigbovo, Odionwere of Ogunmwenyi village during the period, and Pa Samuel Okoro, father of Benson Okoro, fingered by the Petitioner as vendor who sold the said land in concert with Pa Edobor Ehierobo, current Odionwere of Ogunmwenyi community.
The Petitioner was consistent in her statement, mentioning the names of all four deceased signatories and, without mincing words, challenging the Respondents to deny it.
“The current Odionwere recently collected the sum of #12,000 from me and told me that indeed the land belonged to me. It was when he insisted on taking the originals of the documents from me by force, that I suspected foul play and had to go into hiding. This was the same Odionwere who had earlier asked his son to chase me and my son out of our land, the land which we farmed on in order to survive, and either seized or destroyed our crops, including cassava, etc. It was later on that I was informed that Benson Okoro, son of one of the deceased signatories, had sold the land for #29m,” the Petitioner stated.
After several attempts to prove their claims, the Respondents failed to present a single document, even as one of the Respondents, Okoro Benson claimed that 20 Plots in the vast land was his inheritance from his late father and pleaded with the Committee to disregard the petition.
Making the Committee’s position known before the parties, Hon. Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga (Retd), Chairman, Edo State Private Properties Protection Committee told the Respondents to go back to the drawing board in the community and deliberate among themselves how to reach a peaceful resolution of the matter with a view to ensuring the Petitioner recovered her property.
“At your level as elders, so much is expected of you. No one needs to tell you that the pursuit of peace with humanity is a virtue and a path of honour. If you had approached the woman nicely as development came to your community and encouraged her to part with some parcels of her land as a gift to the community, probably for Community development and progress, I am sure she would have obliged you. It is more honourable than this back door means of arm twisting her.
Now, we want to give you a date; go and come back before this Committee with a Resolution that would put an end to the woman’s misery.”
The Respondents agreed and assured the Committee that the matter would be amicably resolved. The case was adjourned till July 24 for further hearing.
Sitting continues in Benin City.