Kogi govt ejects illegal occupants from post-flood housing estate

The Kogi State Government, on Wednesday, ejected people it described as illegal occupants of the post-flood housing estate in Lokoja, while it also seal off the premises.

You would recall that Victims of the Kogi flood disaster had lamented on their inability to secure accommodation at the Post Flood Housing estate

The Deputy Governor, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi, said the decision was taken to forestall all illegal occupants of the estate who are denying the original allottees the opportunity of occupying their houses.

Awoniyi urged those who have genuine allocation to re-present their allocation paper to the Ministry of Lands and Housing, in order to re-validate their position and collect the key to occupy the flood estate built and given out as “Owners Occupier” to 2012 flood victims.

According to him, “We heard that illegal people who have already occupied the housing estate were demonstrating over their eviction. We want to make it clear that our government is one who will do the rights thing at all time.

“On September 12, 2015, government placed advertorial for flood victims to come and bid for the housing estate. The process was free, but out of the 1,740 unit of dwellings affected by the flood in 2012, only 241persons signified interest in the flood estate.

“The government allocated 241 out of the 272 housing units to those who indicated interest. The remaining 31 housing unit were assigned to the disabled and widows on humanitarian ground. But it was disheartening that some illegal occupants forcefully find their way into the estate and turned themselves into landlords and started collecting rent.

“At the beginning, Government thought that those who have passed through the screening and were allocated the rooms were the ones who occupied the estate, but now that the truth has been discovered government after series of dialogue, warning and persuasion has no option but to eject the illegal occupants and seal off the estate pending when those who are the rightful allootees were identified.”

He however warned the illegal occupants not to return to the estate as government would no longer be lenient, but threat them as criminals.