Delta Govt. raises fear over illegal excavators’ activities in host communities

The Delta State Government has raised the fear of unknown over illegal activities of Excavators in Umusadege Government Reservation Area, Kwale Community in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, saying that efforts were being made to put a support to the act.

Mr. Chika Ossai, the State Commissioner for Lands, and Survey who confirmed to put an end the Excavators’ illegality to Daily Post on Thursday in Asaba, said the Excavators, mainly tipper drivers, are supported by handful of individuals in the host community, adding that they not only taken over Government lands, but destroyed farmlands of their host community.

He said: “this is humiliating, the government has set up secret security agents that will bring the Excavators to book, they have destroyed government Reservation area lands, including farmlands of their host communities maintaining that the police had been ordered to arrest any of the Excavators in the areas.

Investigation revealed that the Excavators fled the scene of a deep burrow pit, some of which were over 10 feet deepen on sighting the Commissioner with his armed mobile policeman during his inspection visit to the areas.

It was gathered that the fleeing excavators abandoned their trucks, work tools, and jumped into the thick forest where they reportedly hid themselves for fear of an arrest.

But one of the Excavators, Benjamine Okowe told Daily Post that: “we are involved in the excavation because of no job, we are doing it to eke a living for ourselves, our families, and government is pursuing us here and there, what are we going to be doing”.

Further investigation revealed that the Excavators had destroyed virtually all the economic lands of their host communities; a situation described by the Commissioner as absurdity and havoc especially to the government owned land, adding: “these Excavator have finished government lands, we will bring all of them to book unless they vacate the scene”.