Representatives of Karastan Company Limited and family members of the former governor of old Anambra State, late Chief C. C. Onoh, have lodged a N10 million law suit at the Enugu State high court, against the state Commissioner for Land and Survey, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ujam, the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, and its commissioner, Engineer Ekene Ugwuegede.
The N10 million suit is pursuant to damages suffered by Karastan Company Limited, whose property was demolished by the ECTDA on June 18, 2013 at Plots 6 -14, Ekulu West Layout, GRA, Enugu.
The plaintiffs, Karastan Company Limited and its Director, Mr. Caroline Onoh, who is the wife of the late former governor, are also asking the court to make a mandatory injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, privies or workmen from further interfering with or disturbing in any manner whatsoever their rights of ownership/possession of the plots that has certificate of revalidation dated June 12, 1985.
The Onoh family is also praying the court for a declaration that the purported withdrawal of approval earlier granted them for introduction of parking space and realignment of a road on the property by the commissioner for lands and survey and the reasons contained in the withdrawal letter of March 20, 2013, become null and void and of no effect.
They also seek that the court declare as illegal, the invasion and destruction of the property in Plots 6 -14, Ekulu West Layout, GRA, Enugu registered as No14 at page 14 in volume 1607 in the Enugu Land Registry Office with power of attorney dated December 10, 2008, which is the subject of the suit.
No date has been fixed for hearing of the matter registered as suit No: E/284/2013 in the high court of Enugu State.
It will be recalled that last week, ECTDA in a controversial manner pulled down the disputed property located at Onoh quarters in old GRA Enugu with the Commissioner for ECTDA, Engr. Ugwegede, saying that the building was pulled down because the fence and security house rested on a public road and obstructed the liberty of residents living behind the structure being remodelled for commercial purpose.
Managing Director of Karastan Company Limited, Dr. Josef Onoh, however, countered the claim by ECTDA and insisted that the demolished property met all due process of documentation, adding that Ugwegede was propelled by personal vendetta over their unfinished personal business truncations, to demolish his property.
Onoh said what happened was that he refused to sell more plots of land located around Onoh quarters to Ugwegede and the commissioner in turn unleashed vendetta on his property.
He provided cheques of previous personal transactions between him and Ugwegede and insisted that what the commissioner did on his property was an act of abuse of office and blackmail.
He demanded for immediate sack of the commissioner by Governor Sullivan Chime to serve as a lesson to other public officers who may want to engage in conflict of interests with their positions.
National Mirror