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Retired judge accuses group of ignoring government’s intervention; over 200 retirees, workers claim ownership of disputed 28-acre property

By Our Reporter

ASABA — A retired magistrate court judge, Chief Henry Omosor, has threatened to mobilise retirees, serving civil servants, media workers and civil society groups to picket the Obi Cubana Millennium Group in Asaba over an alleged encroachment on 28 acres of land belonging to the Media Workers Multipurpose Cooperative Society (MPCS) at Issele-Azagba, Delta State.

Omosor, who condemned what he described as the alleged high-handed acquisition of the property, declared that Delta State would not tolerate a situation in which financial influence or connections were allowed to override the rule of law and the property rights of citizens.

“Delta State is not a banana republic where money or influence supersedes the rule of law and the fundamental rights of our people,” he said while addressing journalists in Asaba.

He alleged that the Obi Cubana Millennium Group had ignored several attempts to resolve the dispute amicably, including invitations from the Delta State Ministry of Justice following a referral from Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s office.

According to Omosor, the cooperative society had written several letters to the group before petitioning the governor, who directed the Ministry of Justice to intervene.

He, however, alleged that the group failed to honour invitations to meetings aimed at resolving the dispute.

Describing the development as troubling, Omosor said the disputed property represented the life savings and retirement investments of many civil servants and media workers who had acquired plots of land in anticipation of building their homes.

“We will not fold our arms and watch retired and serving civil servants dispossessed of their hard-earned land under any guise,” he declared.

He said the planned protest would involve retired civil servants, serving workers, organised civil society groups and other allies opposed to what he characterised as the dispossession of ordinary citizens.

“In the coming days, we will mobilise retired civil servants, serving workers, organised civil society and allies in the struggle against oppression to picket the Obi Cubana Millennium Group in Asaba,” he added.

The threatened protest follows a recent meeting convened by the Department of People’s Rights in the Delta State Ministry of Justice to examine the petition submitted by the affected landowners.

The meeting reportedly ended without the Obi Cubana Millennium Group or any of its representatives in attendance.

The department had invited the cooperative society, the host community, the cooperative’s surveyor, Titus Ayuba, the group’s surveyor, Charles Ogadi, and the Obi Cubana Millennium Group.

The intervention followed a petition by the landowners over alleged encroachment on the disputed property, which the governor’s office referred to the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General for attention.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, MPCS President, Comrade Vincent Maduka, said the complainants and representatives of the host community attended with their title documents.

Maduka expressed disappointment that the other party failed to appear, leaving the landowners uncertain about the next steps in pursuing their complaint.

“The complainants and the host community were fully represented, and the title documents were on the table,” he said.

He alleged that a ministry official told those present that the department’s hands were tied following the absence of the other party.

“You called us to a meeting, and now you are advising us to go without giving us any hope, as if we are not lawful Deltans or humans who are being robbed of their property,” Maduka said.

He maintained that the cooperative possessed a survey plan and an agreement involving the society, the community, the seller and the surveyor, which he said supported its claim to the land.

Maduka said the dispute affected more than 200 retirees, civil servants and media workers, many of whom had invested their savings in plots at Issele-Azagba in preparation for retirement and home ownership.

“It is not just four or five people; it is a group of retirees and many others involved in this. Some are complaining that they have lost hope; this land is what they planned to use during their retirement,” he said.

He added that some members had hoped to build houses in the area as development expanded, but the dispute had put their plans in jeopardy.

The MPCS president warned that the threatened protest could attract members of other cooperative societies across Delta State if the matter remained unresolved.

“If retired civil servants who are our members decide to picket the Cubana Millennium Group, we will mobilise members of other cooperative societies in Delta State to join them,” he said.

Maduka insisted that the cooperative would not abandon its members’ investments because of the influence or connections allegedly enjoyed by the other party.

“What the Cubana Millennium Group is doing is not justifiable before man and God, and we cannot just fold our hands and allow the investments of our members to be stolen by an individual or a group, no matter how highly connected the person or group is,” he said.

The land dispute has raised concerns among the affected members, who are demanding that the relevant authorities ensure that their claims are properly examined and that a lawful resolution is reached.

However, the allegations of encroachment and the competing claims over the property remain matters requiring verification and determination by the appropriate authorities. The Obi Cubana Millennium Group’s position was not contained in the report, and the group’s absence from the reported meeting does not, by itself, establish the merits of the competing claims.

The affected landowners are urging the state government and the Ministry of Justice to provide a clear path towards resolving the dispute and protecting the interests of those who say they invested their savings in the property.