Outrage in FCT as Emefiele’s ally, Paul Odili swims in allegations of land-grabbing

..How he mobilised armed thugs to demolish Lugbe neighbourhood

..Residents petition EFCC, DSS, call for investigation of River Park Estate acquisition

BY ORIAKU IJELE & MUFU DUROJAIYE

For residents of Lugbe, a thriving neighbourhood in the Federal Capital Territory, it is untoward intimidation and raw display of rented state power as Paul Odili, a renowned ally of the embattled ex-governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele has allegedly continued to harass residents, especially those living close to River Park Estate, which he allegedly holds in trust for some powerful Nigerians, especially the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, who is currently standing trial for allegedly misappropriating huge sums of money.

Residents of Lugbe are therefore calling on Nigerians, especially the Federal Government to defend them from the hands of Paul Odili, who has consistently sworn that his political association was enough to get him his bidding in Nigeria, perhaps prompting his attitude of rolling in bulldozers for demolition, whenever he wishes.

During a recent invasion which occurred Saturday, March 9, 2024, he had again mobilised thugs with bulldozers to pull down some portions of Lugbe neigbnourhood which the residents see as extra judicial and brash display of power. One of the residents, Bola Ogunnubi, who spoke to our correspondent, described the action as highhanded.

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“I am amazed that a private individual could be allowed to display this kind of raw power under a democracy, simply because he is connected to some powerful Nigerians. It is disheartening. But it is the duty of the state to protect vulnerable citizens like us. How do you describe the scenario that a single man could mobilise thugs to pull down structures in our neigbbourhood?”

Another resident, Mr. Stanley Nwaokike, shared a similar experience even though he obtained his land legally from the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) over a decade ago.

He highlighted River Park’s encroachment on other people’s property, the demolition of buildings, and disputes over conflicting layouts.

According to him, “Early in 2014, we noticed that River Park was encroaching on our property, causing trees to fall and bulldozing. What really caught our attention, though, was that one of us who was building had his building demolished. We all went there in response to the outcry, and we encountered the tractor man, police officers, and other officials who accompanied them to demolish buildings. We informed them that this was not the River Park area. They brought a layout that we don’t know where it came from, but we brought our own, and we were able to convince them that their own layout wasn’t registered with the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).”

Saturday Times gathered that residents of Lugbe are however not backing down as they have raised some petitions to the law enforcement agencies like the Department of State Service, DSS as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission calling for the investigation of the process that led to the acquisition of the River Park Estate, a sprawling property located close to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, with monetary value running into trillions of naira.

It will be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had in the past promised that it would beam its searchlight on estate owners in Abuja, considering the high level of money laundering activities happening in the sector.