A business owner in Ebonyi State, Mr. Okay Emmanuel Nnolum, has accused the immediate past Governor of Ebonyi State, David Nweze Umahi, of using a road expansion project at the Dr. Akanu Ibiam Roundabout in Abakaliki as a pretext to revoke his company’s Right of Occupancy, demolish his filling station, and subsequently develop the land into a private shopping plaza reportedly linked to the former governor.
Nnolum, whose company B.O. Nnolum & Sons Limited owned the affected filling station, told SaharaReporters that what began as a purported government request for minor road expansion and canopy relocation eventually led to the total takeover of his property.
“He Said He Needed Seven Metres, But Took Everything”
Speaking on the development, Nnolum said he once enjoyed a cordial relationship with Umahi before the dispute.
“David Umahi used to be my friend, but at some point, I honestly do not know what happened,” he said.
According to him, the former governor, who is currently the Minister of Works, informed him that a road dualisation project around Dr. Akanu Ibiam Roundabout would affect part of his property frontage.
“He later said he wanted to carry out a road expansion project that would affect my property. He stated that he was going to take seven meters of land from the frontage,” Nnolum explained.
However, he alleged that the justification later proved unfounded.
“In the end, he did not even take the seven meters. In fact, he took all my propertieswith the adjoined ones.
Revocation Letter And Demolition
Nnolum disclosed that before the demolition, his company received a Letter of Revocation covering the filling station property, which comprises about three plots of land.
“Before this happened, he issued what is called a Letter of Revocation for the property. The property in question consists of about three plots of land,” he said.
According to him, government officials fenced off the entire property and demolished the filling station.
“When officials came to the site, they fenced off the entire property and demolished the filling station,” he stated.
He added that the government paid between ₦20 million and ₦22 million as compensation, which officials claimed covered everyone affected by the dualisation scheme.
“When this happened, he paid between ₦20 million and ₦22 million as compensation. He claimed this amount was for everyone affected along that line by the dualisation scheme,” he said.
However, Nnolum insisted that beyond the filling station, he had three additional properties amounting to about six plots of land for which no revocation letters were initially issued.
“Eventually, he demolished the filling station and some of my other properties around the area. However, the revocation letter only covered the filling station property. I still had three other properties, amounting to about six plots of land, for which no revocation letter was issued,” he alleged.
Alleged Backdating Of Revocation Letters
After the fencing of the property, Nnolum said he wrote to the former governor seeking resolution.
“He then backdated another revocation letter and pasted it on the fence he had built,” Nnolum claimed.
He stated that his legal team responded with a letter of intent to commence legal action, and a suit was subsequently filed to halt the demolition.
“The court stated that it wanted to hear the matter fully. However, while the case was still pending in court, the property was demolished. Up until now, the case is still in court,” he said.
He further disclosed that his lawyer recently informed him of plans to withdraw and refile the case.
“No compensation has been paid for the other properties,” he added.
According to him, additional revocation letters were later pasted on adjoining properties after construction of government fencing, while some properties allegedly have no revocation letters at all.
From Road Expansion To Private Plaza?
Nnolum also questioned the original justification for the acquisition.
“At one point, he claimed the road expansion would extend towards the police station. However, no such road was eventually constructed,” he said.
“Instead of building a road, he developed a private structure on the land. He built what he now calls an electronics shopping plaza. Part of the structure included a toilet facility, which he occupied. He did not use the land for any public road project as initially claimed.”
He alleged that the property has now been leased to a company he believes is linked to the former governor.
“The property has now been leased to his company. I know the company’s name, and I believe it belongs to him. The Managing Director of the company approached me when I went to court, and I am aware of the company involved,” he added.
Missing Land Registry Files
Nnolum further alleged that when his representatives visited the Ministry of Lands to verify documents, they discovered that all files relating to the property were missing.
“The file, including the original seal and registration documents, had been removed,” he said.
He explained that the property was originally registered in Enugu before the creation of Ebonyi State and later transferred to the Ebonyi State Land Registry.
“Although it was later kept in the Ebonyi State Land Registry, none of the documents can be found there now. It appears that all the records have been taken out,” he alleged.
Petition To Attorney General
Meanwhile, in a petition dated November 2, 2023, written through his lawyer, Nnazimuzo A. Ugorji & Associates, and addressed to the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ministry of Justice, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nnolum sought administrative intervention and proposed Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
The petition referenced a suit numbered HAB/5/2020, reportedly withdrawn three months ago and requested the government to explore peaceful settlement mechanisms.
The law firm stated that it had recently been briefed to take over the plaintiff’s case to its logical conclusion but was considering ADR as an option.
The petition praised the current administration’s introduction of a Multi-Door Court/Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism, describing it as being of “international standard” and placing Ebonyi State ahead of others in Nigeria.
Certificate Of Occupancy And Compensation
According to the petition, the company is the bona fide owner of the property, evidenced by a Certificate of Occupancy dated September 2, 1988, registered as No. 56/56/1222 at the Land Registry, Enugu, and an Irrevocable Power of Attorney dated February 2, 2010, registered as No. 83/83/14 at the Ebonyi State Lands Registry, Abakaliki.
The petition stated that the property was valued at ₦500,000,000 as of 2017 and referenced a Notice of Revocation of Right of Occupancy purportedly executed by Umahi on February 1, 2017.
The lawyers explained that negotiations were initiated by the Commissioner for Lands for property owners around Dr. Akanu Ibiam Roundabout to surrender portions of land for road expansion and easement, with promises of compensation.
However, in the case of B.O. Nnolum & Sons Limited, the petition claimed that only the canopy of the filling station was affected and that the company agreed to relocate it in support of state development.
An agreement dated January 24, 2019, allegedly drafted by the then Attorney General, provided in paragraph III that the company could remodel the filling station and obtain a new Certificate of Occupancy over the remaining portion of land.
The petition stated that the company fulfilled its part by removing the canopies and that the government paid ₦23,181,344.05 as agreed compensation.
However, while other affected properties were demarcated by government as agreed, Nnolum’s company was allegedly ignored.
According to the petition, after writing a letter dated January 14, 2020 seeking the governor’s intervention, a fresh Notice of Revocation was pasted on the filling station property on January 16, 2020, just two days later.
The lawyers described the development as “most worrisome,” arguing that the revocation affected the entire filling station valued at over ₦500 million, despite the earlier agreement limiting impact to canopy relocation.
They contended that the filling station was not affected by either the road expansion or flyover project and was never negotiated for full acquisition or compensation.
Reliefs Sought
The petition urged the Attorney General to engage the law firm to obtain full details of the grievances and explore professional ADR mechanisms to resolve what it described as unlawful demolition and wrongful revocation of the company’s Right of Occupancy.
The law firm prayed the Attorney General to: “Engage with representatives of B.O. Nnolum & Sons Limited for full disclosure of grievances and possible resolution.
“Explore Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms of international standard to remedy the alleged injustice against the company’s business.”
When SaharaReporters contacted Uchenna Orji, the Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Works, he said, “I don’t have the power to speak on a matter that is in the past.”