4,000 people displaced in Onitsha as Anambra demolishes illegal buildings
Along the Niger River near Niger Street in Fegge, Onitsha, the authorities of the Onitsha South Local Government Area in Anambra State have destroyed shanties and other unauthorized buildings.
Sand miners and traders operating in the area had their machine buildings, stores, and sand beaches demolished as part of the activity, which began on Sunday and continued on Monday.
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The destruction, which took place less than a month after the council area removed over 2,300 stores in the same region, impacted a number of equipment houses, businesses, and business spaces.
According to information obtained by our journalist, the exercise had forced out at least 4,000 local traders and sand miners.
Along with more than 15 members of the Anambra State Vigilante Service, the demolition was overseen by Emeka Orji, the Chairman of the Onitsha South Local Government Area.
Orji reiterated during the exercise the state government’s commitment to recovering the land from its current occupants.
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“The state government is determined to reclaim the land from its present occupiers and 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,” Orji stated.
Orji reported that while the demolition was taking place, some of the impacted sand miners were observed hastily taking down their tools, such as sand drilling machines, and the traders among them were observed taking down their goods, such as food, snacks, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, from the area.
They were complaining at the time that the exercise had left them homeless and without a job.
One of the properties, a petrol station designated for demolition, nearly created a problem during the exercise when the owners began to agitate and kick against the demolition.
The folks in an agitated state were scared away from approaching the demolition location by the vigilante operations’ intermittent firing.
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According to Lucky Okoye, one of the victims, more than 20 homes that housed River Craft Machines, which numbered roughly 40, were affected. Each River Craft Machine employed 18 to 25 people who are now unemployed.
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Around sixty petty traders’ stores were also demolished on Monday during the demolition, according to a trader named Mrs. Agnes Ezeh, who lost part of her wares in her wrecked shop.
Aside 250 persons who were displaced on Sunday due to demolition, sand beaches were also leveled throughout the operation, resulting in a total of roughly 760 displaced people.
Alhaji Danladi and Sumo, Uche Okafor Sand Beach, Beneath Ozoemena Sand Beach, Chidi Iheme, Alhaji Salusi Nnaemeka Sand Beach, Obidi Ibeanu, and Daniel Eze Beaches were among the victims.
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Other businesses affected by Monday’s demolition are Amaonye and Omekigbo Braches. They employed at least 80 people each, as well as more than 30 local store owners were affected.
Many of the affected victims were seen hurriedly taking down their multi-million naira sand drilling machines, also called River Craft Machines, at the scene of the demolition. The traders among them were seen taking down their commodities, such as food, snacks, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, while the sand workers bemoaned the fact that they would be out of job.
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