*Court ordered his house demolition - ECDTA

Owners of property adjacent to the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu that were demolished recently by one Arch. John J. Emejulu have cried out to the federal government to come to their rescue.

The landlords, who made the call while narrating their ugly experience to newsmen, yesterday, said Arch. Emejulu led armed thugs to destroy their property, saying that his armed thugs also carted some of their belongings. They also alleged that he made monetary demand of N15 million from each of them.

They also said that Emejulu carried out the nefarious act, including the destruction of the concrete perimeter fence of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu, purporting to be executing a court order he “mischievously and surreptitiously obtained in 2020, against a subsisting restraining order made in 2017 for stay of execution of the judgment of suit No. E/642/2016”.

The owners of the property maintained that Emejulu’s ulterior motive in surreptitiously obtaining another court in 2020 without disclosing to the court the existence of the Motion on Notice which made an interim order for maintenance of status quo (stay of execution) and which was adjourned for ruling, was glaring, a clear case of contempt of the order of the court and a deliberate act prejudicial to peace and order in the state, calling for criminal prosecution.

Speaking on behalf of the landlords in the neighborhood on the demolition of their property, Mr. Basil Madueke, whose duplex was destroyed, said it was the third time the perpetrator came with armed thugs to demolish their property.

Madueke who led the newsmen round the affected structures, stressed that Emejulu’s level of intimidation and brutality were unbearable.

He added that Emejulu has been terrorizing the neighborhood claiming to be the rightful owner of the entire area including the Enugu airport land, which was also affected by his destruction exercise.

Madueke explained that he, just like most other landlords, rightfully acquired their lands from Best Shelter Limited and have the necessary documents backing them up.

His words: “This is the third time Mr. J. J Emejulu is destroying my property. And I have all the evidence, both pictures and video to back up my claims. So, I call upon the federal government to take immediate action because I demand that this very man should pay for the damage he has caused me and other affected landlords.

“It is not only me, he destroyed many other property, which I can take you around to see.

Also narrating his experience, a tenant of one the affected buildings, Mr. Kingsley Obiora, said that they woke up in the morning on that fateful day and were shocked to see touts pulling down the fence of their compound.

Obiora, who expressed sadness at the incident, added that the armed thugs came into their apartments, destroyed other parts of the building and carted away their personal belongings.

Another landlord, Mr. Joshua Akachukwu Otu, gave similar narrative, describing the incident as embarrassing, as he acquired his property legally.

On Arch. Emejulu’s claim that his residence was arbitrarily pulled down, the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) has debunked the allegation, insisting that it acted in compliance with a subsisting court order, having been found to have been erected on waterway, which posed dangers to the lives and property of the entire neighbourhood.

Consequently, the development control agency made public the court order that authorized it “to demolish the respondent’s (Emejulu) illegal structure located at No. 23/24 Eziokwe Street, Community Estate, Enugu with code No. 003005835.”

The agency in seeking court authorization, prayed the court for an order restraining the respondent from carrying out any such development at that location, and the court granted the application by Motion Ex-Parte stating that “the Applicant is authorized/ directed to remove the respondent’s illegal structure located at No. 23/24 Eziokwe Street, Community Estate, Enugu with code No. 003005835.”

Chairman of ECTDA, Dr. Josef Onoh, while reacting to the allegation that the state government exercised revenge on Emejulu for demolishing about two kilometers of perimeter fence at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, said it was not true.

Onoh said: “It was not a revenge. He destroyed a federal government property which he has to sort out with the federal government, but this is a state function, exercising control of unapproved structures. He was duly given 21 days notice and he was properly served.

“The property stood on a waterway and it had to go. There is another building close to that one, on the same street, which has already been marked for demolition. Tenants in that one have already moved out because the property already has severe cracks from the foundation and we are going to pull it down very soon.

“If you are observant, you would have noted that the Enugu Capital Territory has been carrying out control measures in Enugu capital city and Emejulu’s property cannot be an exception, despite whatever axe he has to grind with the federal government”.

Meanwhile, further enquiries revealed that the building's marking for demolition predated the destruction of the Enugu airport fence as it showed July 8, 2020, which is nearly one month before the airport fence was brought down by Arch. Emejulu.