More than 4000 persons have been displaced following the demolition of illegal structures by the Onitsha South Local Government Area of Anambra State authority. The affected areas in the exercise are illegal structures and shanties along the bank of the River Niger, by Niger Street, Fegge, Onitsha.
According to report, the exercise started on Sunday and continued on Monday. Among the structures demolished include machine houses, stores and sand beaches of sand miners and traders doing business along the area.
The demolition also affected several equipment houses, shops and business premises.
According to the report, the exercise happened barely a month after over 2,300 shops in the same area were demolished by the authority.
The demolition was supervised by the Chairman of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Emeka Orji. He was accompanied by over 15 operatives of the Anambra State Vigilante Service.
Speaking during the exercise, the Chairman re-emphasized the State Government’s determination to reclaim the land from its present occupiers.
Orji said, “The State Government is determined to reclaim the land from its present occupiers. And to clear the area of illegal structures defacing the environment. The affected victims have been warned to vacate the place, but they did not take the warning seriously.”
An eyewitness account stated that as the demolition was ongoing, some of the affected sand miners were seen hurriedly removing their equipment. Some of the items removed included sand drilling machines, while the traders among them, were seen removing their commodities.
However, what would have caused the breakdown of security in the area almost happened during the exercise. The owner of one of the properties, a fuel station marked for demolition, almost put up a fight.
It took the intervention of the vigilante operatives, who shot sporadically into the air to scared the people away.
One of the victims, Marcel Udenna, said that over 20 buildings housing River Craft Machines numbering about 40 were affected. He stated that each of the River Craft Machine is employing between 18 to 25 workers. He regretted that these numbers are now displaced.
A trader, Mrs. Comfort Nwachukwu, said she lost some of her commodities in her destroyed shop. She pointed that over 60 shops belonging to petty traders were also destroyed in Monday’s demolition.
Sand beaches along the River Niger bank were not left out. They were levelled during the demolition exercise.
