The Nigerian Navy has remained silent over allegations by members of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, who accused naval personnel of harassment and the forceful takeover of their land in the Federal Capital Territory.
The society alleged that the 13.5 hectares of land, located at Hulumi Village, IDU, Abuja, was legally allocated to them by the government after fulfilling all financial obligations.
They claimed the Navy had since taken possession of the property, disregarding both legal processes and a subsisting court order.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro on Sunday, a member of the cooperative, Emmanuel Odoh, said, “Despite paying compensation to the community, development control, and all relevant agencies, several years after our payment, we discovered that the Navy had moved into Phase 2 of our land.
“We wrote petitions to the Inspector General of Police and the Department of Security Services; we even took them to court. However, they continued to work on the land.
“They converted buildings in Phase 2 to theirs, moved into Phase 1, and drove our members who had started construction off the site. They even fenced the area. That is the truth of the matter.”
Odoh informed our correspondent that the society only wants the Navy to obey the law.
He noted, “What I want is for them to stop work because the development agencies are still reviewing our land documents to determine rightful ownership.
“While we were engaging with the development control, they began encroaching further. They must stop fencing that place, especially with a subsisting court order in place.”
The chairman of the cooperative, Tony Christian, in a separate telephone interview on Monday, explained that the land was intended for staff and retirees of the NPHCDA, but that the Navy had forcibly taken over both phases of the property.
He said, “The land is for staff and retirees, though some members sold to outsiders. It was divided into Phase 1 and Phase 2. The Navy has its estate near ours.
“In November 2013, they took over Phase 1. There was no structure there then, so they moved in. We went to court, and an injunction was issued, but they ignored it.
“They completed construction there, and now they have moved into Phase 2, where some of us had already started building. They took over our structures and are now fencing the area.”
Christian also noted that when the land was initially allocated in 2012, the then Executive Director of NPHCDA, Patrick, facilitated the process.
“When the Navy took over the land, we met him again—now as Minister of Health—and he promised to intervene. But nothing has changed,” he lamented.
In their petition to the DSS and the IG, the cooperative insisted, “NPHCDA has been in peaceful and uninterrupted possession of the said land since the grant.
“Properties have already been allotted to members and families of the NPHCDA, who have fully paid all subscription fees and development levies.”
When contacted for a reaction to the claims, the Nigerian Navy spokesperson, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, did not reply to messages sent to his WhatsApp number by our correspondent as of the time of filing this story on Monday.
PUNCH.
