Tina Amanda
The Management of F Global Estates has refuted claims made by women of Okuru-Ama Community in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State, that the company unlawfully occupied their property situated in the Golf Estates.
Recall that the women of Okuru-Ama community, on Tuesday, took to the streets, protesting and asking F Global Estates to vacate their land for unlawful encroachment.
Managing Director of the Company, Mr Ifeanyi Emilike, while briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt, following the protest carried out by the women, maintained that all due processes to the purchase of the property were followed with the consent of Okuru-ama Chiefs.
According to him, as private developers, they met all necessary negotiations and funds were paid to the Chiefs. He expressed dismay over the community’s threats to burn down their equipment at the site.
“We went into transaction legally in purchasing the property from the Okujagu community. Before we went into the transaction, we did investigations in the customary way and every investigation revealed that the property belongs to Okujagu; Okujagu showed us some documents, surveys gazetted. So, we went back to Okuru-Ama to inform them that we want to buy this land from Okujagu, who are the rightful owners of the said property.
“The Okuru Ama people told us they want compensation from us since we are not buying the land directly from them, that was in December 2020. After the purchase of land, we mobilized to the site but before we mobilised to the site, their Chiefs met us and requested the sum of fifteen million naira, which will serve as their family payment and requested we pay for bush entry.
“Having paid all the demands, we started work on the site and the Youths of Okuru stopped our work, that we went ahead to pay Okujagu without giving them money.
“We approached them trying to negotiate peace with them, they blatantly told us to leave the land that they are no longer interested in the compensation. The issue caused us serious concern because the land in question is not theirs, we asked them to show us evidence that the land truly belongs to them.
“We persisted on the peace negotiation to ensure both parties are happy irrespective of who is claiming ownership, these we tried to do for the past four months for the benefit of peace. The King of Okochiri in Okrika local government, His Royal Majesty Ateke Tom, this matter is before him. He has told the Okuru people four times in our presence to negotiate with us that he does not want problem in his community.
“They have protested to the military threatening to burn down my staff, my office; burn down my equipment. We have to send a petition for the safety of my staff and equipment, that is why we invited the military to give maximum security to our equipment at the site.
“We had an understanding with parties from beginning, the chiefs of Okuru-Ama have collected money for the fifteen houses in their community. What they do is bring up more problems come for more money and try to make the negotiation more difficult.
“They said before we start clearing the land, we must give them customary things, which the company still gave them another seven point five million (7.5) naira. Why would the Okuru people tell us to pull out from the property when we have bought the land from the rightful owners and also paid them compensation.
“Since the Okuru-Ama people are contesting that the land does not belong to Okujagu, they should go to court. There are competent courts to prove ownership”
He, however, opted for peaceful negotiations with the community, pointing out that the project development in question will provide not less than three hundred jobs for their youths.
“We are peace abiding organization and we must give them room for negotiation, we are willing to enter into a peace agreement with them.
“The people that went protesting are the women. Where are the elders who are collecting the money? Mails, messages have been sent calling for further discussion as they technically avoided having a round table discussion with us. We have told them the company does not want problem and we expect that as a host community, they should not be hostile to us.
“They should stop threatening us with guns, pushing us as private developer’s out of the state. That place has over three hundred job spaces for their youth and the company is very much open for negotiation at all time.”
The MD also appealed to the people of Okuru-Ama to eschew conduct capable of threatening public peace and peaceful co-existence between the company and the community.
