The last Wednesday’s demolition of houses at Ulegun Community, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, took a dramatic turn on Thursday as a Benin High Court remanded the Secretary of Benin Traditional Council (BTC), otherwise known as the Palace Secretary, Mr Frank Irabor, in prison.
Before the court, presided over by Justice Mary Itsueli adjourned the matter to September 15, it also ordered six others, among them chiefs, namely: Chief Oko-Oboh Ebosel (63), Agbavbere Osawemweguan (64); Abel Oko Oboh (45); Tuesday Atagamene (52); Okechukwu Okeke (27) and Ode Uloko (24) to be remanded in Oko Maximum prison over the same matter.
The arraigned accused persons were said to have been sighted in the two videos of the demolition in circulation in Edo State and beyond.
The accused persons are facing prosecution for their involvement in the illegal demolition of over 80 houses in Ulegun last Wednesday, after which the Enogie of the community, Sunday Eghosasere Omoregie and the Ohen (Chief Priest), Philip Uwuoroya, were arrested and detained till Governor Godwin Obaseki secured their release from the police custody on Wednesday, August 31.
Tribune Online gathered that the accused persons were arrested on Wednesday by the Edo State Police Command and charged to court on Thursday, September 1, 2022.
Justice Itsueli ordered them to be remanded in the Oko maximum prison pending receipt of legal advice by the Director of Public Prosecution.
The Ulegun Community dwellers, it would be recalled, had on Monday protested to the Government House, asking Governor Obaseki to come to their aid by arresting those who illegally demolished buildings, insisting that the parcels of land on which the buildings were erected belong to the community.
The villagers alleged that property worth millions of Naira were destroyed in addition to their transducers intimidating and harassing them in total disregard for the rule of law.
The community lamented that the dastardly act prosecuted by Frank Irabor and his co-travellers had left many residents homeless, inflicting pains and sufferings on the people, expressing worry that the state might soon plunge into crisis if nothing was done to curtail these excesses and penchant for illegality in the state.
They explained that the Enogie inherited the land in dispute between the Ulegun Community and Ikhiri Community from his grandfather and that the said land belongs to the Ulegun Community.
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