A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has ruled that the state government must pay N1.1 billion to residents whose properties were unlawfully demolished at Mile One and Two waterfronts in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area.
The court also found the government guilty of forcefully taking over their land.
The affected residents, from areas including Egede, Iruala, Elechi Phase One, Elechi Beach Waterfront, Nanka, Ogwu Waterfront, Okwele and Soku Waterfront, who sued the government in 2022 for violating their fundamental rights.
In his ruling on Wednesday, Justice Sika Aprioku stated that the government did not notify the residents before demolishing their homes and failed to prove that it had legally acquired the land.
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The court also criticized the government for not providing alternative housing or compensation to the displaced residents, but instead using the police to forcefully take over the land for urban development.
The judge ordered the state to pay N900 million as compensation for the rights violations and an additional N2 million as a fine.
Speaking to journalists, the residents’ lawyer, Tonye Igeri from the Justice and Empowerment Initiative, expressed joy over the ruling.
“This judgment restores hope to the victims who were made homeless by the government’s actions,” Igeri said.
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Igeri added that efforts would be made to ensure the victims receive the awarded sum, noting that many had already died or lost everything.
“My advice to the government, as the court stated, is to properly identify affected property owners, provide alternative shelter, or compensate them adequately before carrying out demolitions,” he said.
A representative from the Rivers State Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the ruling.
News4 days ago
