A shopping complex owned by a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Edo State, Chief Osamede Adun, aka Bob Izua, was yesterday demolished on the orders of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The shopping complex, which has 218 stores, was built along Mission road in Benin, the state capital.
Traders disclosed that they paid as much as between N300,000 and N500,000 to own a shop.
Obaseki’s Chief Press Secretary, John Mayaki said the development was to enforce physical and town planning laws and restore integrity to the environment’s masterplan.
Mayaki told The Nation that the demolished structure negated what was approved, adding that notices were served for the APC chieftain to stop work.
He said: “Nobody is above the law, neither is anyone’s interest bigger than the public’s interest. No parking space was provided for owners of the would-be shops at the property.
“The property is being constructed at the heart of the city and shoppers and shop owners will have to park by the roadside and that can cause congestion on the roads.
“The plan for which the owner sought approval, provided for 30 shops with adequate allowances for space and internal staircases, but what Edo people later discovered was a structure with 150 shops and external staircases, just as there was no provision for parking.
“I am also glad to report to you that the government exists for the good and interest of the public and that is the interest the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki is serving. The public is happier that the government is creating the right of way for them”.
Reacting, Chief Adun said he bought the land from three families and got approval from the state government to commence the building.
Chief Adun said he sold part of the land to the state government for N135m, displaying documents of how he acquired the property.
His words: “The building was approved. Do you do demolition at night? My son who went there to remove some things but was arrested.I am the leader of APC in this state.
“The land was not acquired illegally. I borrowed N750,000,000 to build that house. I also sold my house in the US to build the house. The government should tell me how they want me to build it and not for them to take the land.”
One of the shop owner, Celestine Okoro said, “In December last year (2016), we made an advance payment for 2017. I have two stores there. Depending on the size of the store, some persons paid N200,000, some paid N150,000.
“The least amount is for those paying for attachments, which cost N70,000.All of us have paid for 2017. In January, we were informed by the landlord that he wants to demolish the building and replace it with a standard one.
“When the building got to the lintel level, he demanded another payment, which called ‘kola money,’ or consultation fee. The old tenants paid N100,000 while the new ones paid N120,000. We also paid an extra N175,000 or N400,000 for seven months, depending on the size.
“The governor came last week and sealed the place. Since then, we have been hanging around to hear from him (governor). We were kept in the dark until we arrived and saw the building demolished.”
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