Eighty-year-old, Mrs Eunice Oyobere, has called on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State to direct the leadership of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, along Olori Street in Ughelli, to demolish and realign a fence that has stopped her and several other neighbours from accessing their houses for over one year.
The distraught octogenarian, who narrated her ordeal to journalists, on Saturday in Ughelli, said she had lived in her house, No 16C, Olori Street, for well over 10 years, before the church suddenly blocked the access road leading to her house and several others.
She stated that the act, which was described as ‘wicked’ by other neighbours, had compelled them to scale through the fence of other adjourning buildings to get to their homes, adding that the situation had affected her health.
The family of the octogenarian had in 2015 and 2020 written separately to the Delta State Ministry of Lands and Urban Developments protesting against the planned and eventual blockage of the access road leading to their houses but no respite came from the concerned authorities, over a year after the complaints were lodged.
“I am appealing to our governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, to intervene in this matter. I know he is a God-fearing governor who listens to the plight of his people. We all know that there is a road in this place and the church knows that there is a road in the place.
“We are appealing to the governor and the Town Planning office to come and remove the fence to open up the road so that we can have access to our houses. They did not just only block the road, but also encroached into my land by two feet. This is most unfair to humanity.”
Recalling that the problem started in 2015, the old woman’s son, Raphael Oyobere, alleged the church threatened occupants of the affected building with security personnel and thugs before erecting the fence.
“This issue with the church first started in 2015 when they came up with a plan to erect a fence that will close the access road. We went to complain to the Town Planning office about the church’s plan, and when they came they looked at our document and that of the church and they told the church that there was an access road in the area.
“They even marked out the access road, they stopped the church from erecting the fence in 2015, but we were surprised when on June 19, 2020, the church made good their plans by erecting the fence under tight security from the military.
“They came in with a truckload of Army from the 222 Battalion in Agbara-Ughelli. Some persons from the Town Planning office in Ughelli came to stop them but they drove them away because they felt they had the power,” he added.
An affected neighbour who resides at No 16B, Olori Street, Moses Ubogu, lamented, “It was the Vicar of the church who took the decision that we should be fenced out. We cannot access our building from the road for over one year.
“I have been staying here since 1979 and we were about the first to erect a building in this area. It was my house that the church used to store their cement and rods when they were building it. I gave the store to them free of charge.
“Before the church fenced us out, there used to be a road that takes us out. The day they fenced us out, they brought soldiers and touts to protect the bricklayers. They intimidated us with threats and at that point we were helpless”, Ubogu lamented.
When contacted, the Vicar of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Ughelli, Rev. Canon Samson Akpovwovwo, said the matter was beyond him.
“The issue is not a personal one, it is a Diocesan matter and we are a tenant to the Anglican Diocese of Ughelli and, so, anything regarding this matter is not to be treated by the tenant. All inquiries should be directed at the Diocese because I can be transferred any moment.
“It is not that the church is being wicked. The church has been existing there before they came to buy and built in the place. I was transferred to the church when this thing started. I have no issues with them because they are brothers in the Lord,” the clergyman said.
Attempt to speak with the Director of Town Planning, Ministry of Lands and Survey, Asaba, Mr Victor Uboagu, proved abortive as he did not answer the calls on his phone as of the time of filing this report.
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