Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
Ambassador Jude Ebele Maduka, a United States of America (USA) based Nigerian, has petitioned the police in Delta State alleging criminal trespass and obstruction of access to his piece of land located in Asaba, the capital of Delta State.
In the letter, addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command through his legal counsel, Chidel Onuora & Company, Ambassador Maduka claimed that he purchased the piece of land in question in 2017 from a citizen of the state, now a serving state government functionary, who he claimed has not been forthcoming with explanation for the situation.
He said that he was compelled to petition the police authorities because his efforts to commence physical development of the land had run into a brick wall as his relative who recently took some artisans to the site were allegedly stopped, threatened and chased away.
He further claimed that he suspected possible foul play as a certain lawyer, who he was referred after the unpleasant experience at the site, allegedly claimed that he was working for an “unnamed” buyer or owner of the same piece of land.
The letter read in part, “On the firm instructions of our client, Ambassador Sir Jude Ebele Maduka, we write to report a case of criminal trespass, threats of bodily harm and/or death and criminal intimidation against some individuals strongly suspected to be capable of carrying out their threat.
“It is our brief, that sometime on 2017, our client was approached by one Darlington Nnamdi Ije,bto purchase land from his estate located near the Asaba International Airport known and called Plot 3C Dalo Estate”, adding that their client subsequently “negotiated and settled payment for the property whereof he executed a Conveyance Agreement in that regard.”
It further said that the gate and part of the fence had been removed. “Our client who was ready to develop his land is under threat as his cousin with workers who were at the site to commence work were threatened, chased and warned not to return to the land by some irate youths who claimed the land belonged to them.”
The petitioner also claimed that the person he had purchased the land had strangely not responded in the face of the obstruction to develop and threats by unknown persons, despite repeated calls and letter (copy attached).
“Our client is desirous of developing his property but with threats he receives, and the troubling silence of Mr Darlington Nnamdi Ije, it has become important to report this matter to your Office, sir, hoping that by your statutory mandate, you prevent a possible breakdown of law and order, which may lead to avoidable deaths or grievous bodily harm”, Maduka said.
When contacted for his reaction, Hon Darlington Nnamdi Ije, Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, acknowledged knowing and seeing the land in question to Ambassador Maduka but debunked his claims in the petition to the state commissioner of police that he had been silent or evasive since the prevention of his workers from accessing the property for development.
He said that contrary to the allegation that he refused to speak up on the matter, it was the buyer that was incommunicado for a long time despite efforts to update him on later development about the same land.
Speaking from Abuja on telephone with our reporter, Ije said, “If there is issue on ground regarding the property, is he not supposed to go to the property and if anybody come to say why are you here, then you call the person you claimed sold to you. Then he will now be the one to help you in fighting the war.
He faulted the process adopted to access the property, assuring of his readiness to assist Ambassador Maduka reach representatives of the community since he apparently did not commence developing the land within the stipulated period of about one year.
“Is it for him to be going to meet lawyers, police and other persons? What if at the end of it, the Ebele (buyer) is wrong because I have been receiving several calls on this matter.
“I don’t have any problem with anybody regarding property or land. If there is problem he is having on the land I believe the best thing is to come to me, not saying he called me and he wrote to me.
“He claimed he called me, he wrote to me I didn’t respond; I picked all calls, a call in Nigeria, how can I not picked Ebele’s call who is in America? And, also the lawyer said that he wrote to me and I received it; did he show you a copy of acknowledgement of the letter he wrote to me?
“Ask the said Ebere (Maduka) what last he called me on phone? He blocked me on phone because I was disturbing him to come and settle the family (community) and at a point he stopped picking my calls.
“Now the family has gotten a Supreme Court judgement over the land, and asking him to come and regularise the said land for over five years, now he’s using people to reach me.”
