by crossriverwatch admin
Leader Olumba Obu, the spiritual head of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star based in Calabar, the Cross River state capital has declared that the government of Senator Liyel Imoke is fast becoming totalitarian.
In a statement released on Tuesday in Calabar on his behalf and signed by Bishop Princely Ibeabuchi, Leader Olumba Olumba Obu stated that the Cross River State government moved bulldozers into its property located at Old Ikang in an effort to confiscate the property from the sect in complete disregard of the law or due process.
According to Olumba Obu, the sect purchased the said land from one Sunday Udo in 1995 and was issued a receipt for the land on which it erected a building and had the place fenced round; but in 2002, Helen Udo, daughter to the seller leased the land to Zenith Bank without their notice which they objected.
“As a last resort, Zenith Bank plc sought the intervention of the former Governor, Mr Donald Duke. At a meeting held at the instance of the governor, he requested the brotherhood of the Cross and Star to allow Zenith Bank to take over the property positing that the bank would boost the economic activities of the state and we promptly rejected the Governor’s request”.
The rejection of the request led the governor to revoke the right of Brotherhood to the land but as the sect claims, they were not served the notice of revocation as the owners of the land as demanded by law. “This revocation order was published on the Nigerian Chronicle Newspaper of 24th January 2002 without serving us such notice as the real owners of the property”.
Olumba Obu assets that following the revocation Order, the Queen Mother, (Olumba Obu’s wife) went to court against the government in suit No HC/66/2002 and after twelve years, the case was struck out 21st February, 2014 on the grounds that she was not competent to institute such a case as she was not conferred with the Power of Attorney for court action.
However, when “On Friday, 1st of March, 2014 the real owners (Registered Trustees) of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star commenced action to reclaim its property by filing an action against the Cross River State Government, her servants and Agents not to trespass on the land with an injunction served on 21st March, 2014, the next day, 22nd March, 2014, the state government mobilized her agents and commenced demolition of our property with bulldozers under the supervision of over fifteen heavily armed policemen”.
The action of the government, according to Olumba Obu is totalitarian and show complete disdain and lack of respect for the court. “If government violates the procedure as it affects us, we have the right to challenge their action for redress, which is why we have taken the pains to inform both the government of Nigeria and the public that our State Government is fast becoming totalitarian”.
But reacting on behalf of the state government, Christian Ita, the Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser to Senator Liyel Imoke on Media explained that the Cross River State government was simply enforcing a court order which had earlier revoked the ownership of the said property by Leader Olumba Olumba Obu.
According to Ita, the state government was conscious of its actions and was aware of its enormous responsibilities to her citizens and would be careful to involve due process in its dealings with its citizens and every one else.
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