A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has ordered the state government to pay a total of ₦1.1 billion naira in compensation to residents of various waterfront communities whose properties were unlawfully demolished and forcefully taken over.
The affected communities, including Egede, Iruala, Elechi Phase One, Elechi Beach, Nanka, Ogwu Waterfront, Okwele, and Soku Waterside, had sued the state government over the demolitions carried out in 2022 under the administration of former Governor Nyesom Wike.
The residents claimed the government violated their fundamental human rights by evicting them without notice or compensation.
Delivering judgment, Justice Sika Aprioku ruled that the applicants successfully proved that their rights were violated, as the government failed to properly notify them before the demolitions.
The judge also noted that the state failed to provide any evidence that it had legally acquired the land from the residents.
Also Read: PETROAN Assures Nigerians of Stable Petroleum Supply, Dismisses Panic Buying Fears
“The government did not consider that the applicants had a legal right to the land. Instead of compensating them or providing alternative shelter, it used police and thugs to forcibly evict them and take over the area for urban development,” Justice Aprioku stated.
The court ordered the Rivers State government to pay ₦900 million as compensation for the violation of the residents’ rights and an additional ₦200 million as damages.
Speaking after the ruling, Tonye Igeri, Counsel to the applicants and a member of the Justice and Empowerment Initiative, welcomed the judgment, saying it would help restore hope to victims who were left homeless by the government’s actions.
“Judgement has been delivered in the favour of the applicants. The next thing is to get the sum that was awarded to the applicant because most of them have died; the ones who are still alive have nothing left with them. This judgment will go a long way to encourage and assuage them.
“I advise the government that when next it’s carrying such actions, it should identify people with buildings in the area, see how to accommodate them or provide an alternative shelter for them. Those that would not be comfortable with the arrangements, you make provisions for compensation.”
Meanwhile, counsel from the Rivers State Ministry of Justice, who represented the state government in court, declined to comment on the ruling.
