Ebonyi bans illegal structures, parking, victims seeking justice

Governor David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi State.

Ebonyi State government has expressed its determination to ensure illegal structures built in the capital city of the state are totally put into stop.

The State Commissioner for Capital City Development, Barr Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi made this known while addressing newsmen in Abakaliki.

Barr Nwebonyi who said his Ministry has embarked on revamping the capital city to ensure that the State is free from criminal activities, assured after the completion of the work, through decency would become the order of the state capital.



He further said that the State Capital Territory Development Board, had earlier before now placed an order against wrong parking with widely publicity on media while reacting to the recent developments where commercial motorists who usually load passengers at undesignated major junctions in the State were chased away from the place.


The Commissioner also said the ongoing demolition of illegal structures in the capital city is to beautify the city and to know when criminals enter the state.

“If your structures are not approved by the Capital Territory Development Board, it means you are building without the knowledge of the state government. Therefore, there is need for the Ministry to know when and who is erecting any structure to avoid someone coming into the State to erect unapproved building and start harbouring criminals in such edifice”, the Commissioner said.


Nwebonyi advised the intended developers to always seek the approval from the Ministry to avoid destroying such building at the end.


Our Correspondent reports that some of the residents of the state had petitioned against the Commissioner for allegedly destroyed their valuables including buildings, car, foods among others, asking the state House of Assembly to assist to get justice.


But the Chairman, Ebonyi State House of Assembly ad-hoc committee investigating the activities of the Ministry, Mrs Lilian Nwachukwu said the committee is going to look into the matters brought before the committee and do justice to it.

Recall a legal practitioner, Barrister Micheal Odoh brought the report of his clients relating to the demolition done by Capital Territory and pleaded with the committee to take necessary action to give justice to those whose property where destroyed by the Ministry.

One of the people whose structures were demolished, Silas Ochishi said despite all approvals from the Ministry, his house was demolished.

Ochishi and numerous others urged the committee to do justice to their cases, claiming that they were innocence of the new development.