Illegal Occupants Take Over Flood Victims’ Camp

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The flood victims’ camp at the back of Old Poly Quarters in Lokoja, Kogi State was originally built by the government of Capt. Idris Wada to accommodate the 2012 flood victims, but the reverse is now the case as miscreants, and non-flood victims have occupied the estate illegally.

To worsen the situation, the illegal occupants have now appointed a caretaker chairman who oversees the affairs of the residents. With the houses now officially allocated, it is certain that the rightful owners would face a tough resistance when they eventually decide to move in.

The caretaker chairman (name withheld) also taxed the illegal occupant N3, 500, being the payment for pipe-borne water and identification card in order to be recognised as a member of the estate.

Failure to pay the amount would lead to the closure of the apartment by the caretaker chairman and his task force.

At the camp, the fear of the caretaker chairman is the beginning of wisdom. It was learnt that many of the doors were forcefully broken into, a situation that may have resulted in the government through the Ministry of Housing to request each allotee to pay specific amount to fix the doors.

The Graphic gathered from a reliable source that most of the occupants allocated the apartments to themselves without government’s approval, just as the first occupants who have assumed the position of landlords, gave out each apartment to new comers at the rate of N10,000 with the issuance of fake receipts.

One of the female residents, who did not want her name in the print, confided in our reporter: ‘‘when I came down to the flood victims’ camp, the caretaker chairman asked me to pay the sum of N10,000 before I was allocated an apartment with the addition of N3,500 for the identification card and pipe- borne water.

‘‘I was also warned not to sleep outside my apartment for more than two days; failure to adhere to this warning, my properties would be thrown outside and a more serious tenant will replace me without wasting of time,’’ she added.

Mr. Amos (not real name) told our correspondent that, ‘‘if you refused to play by the chairman‘s rule, they will not only lock your door, but have your property thrown outside by his task force. With the publication of the list of the rightful owners of the flood victims’ apartments in The Graphic, many of us are scared because we don’t know what will happen if the rightful owners surface.

‘‘Our caretaker chairman has advised us not leave our apartments; should the rightful owners come around. According to him, the estate belongs to all homeless Kogians,‘’ he concluded.

Our reporter also gathered that the women at the estate had also come together and decided to take the case to the Ata Igala, Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni II, to prevail on the state Governor, Capt. Idris Wada, not to eject them from the apartments.

Source: The Graphic


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