The Abia State government has carried out a second phase of demolition of houses built on Government College Umuahia grounds, saying they were constructed on encroached land.
The demolition exercise was carried out by the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA) on Friday.
Speaking while supervising the demolition, the General Manager of UCDA, Mr. Kingsley Agomoh, said the occupants had been properly warned that the land belonged to Government College Umuahia.
He stated that nobody was authorized to build on the land and pointed out that the demolition would continue, as the Abia State government has already taken full possession of the property.
The UCDA General Manager advised prospective land buyers to make inquiries with government institutions, including UCDA and the Ministry of Lands, before purchasing any land. He also warned that all encroachments on government schools across the state would be retrieved.
Mr. Agomoh disclosed that the government will soon commence proper fencing of the school, while the structures already completed by the encroachers will be forfeited to Government College Umuahia.
He explained that all the illegal structures did not have government approval and expressed regret over the unpatriotic attitude of the developers, who continued construction despite several warnings from the state government.
Some owners of the demolished structures watched helplessly as bulldozers crushed their properties.
Abia government demolishes more houses built on ‘encroached lands’