Residents of Oke-Oroma community in Benin City, Edo State, have expressed excitement following the resolution of a long-standing land dispute, as the state government commenced the issuance of allocation letters to eligible property owners, paving the way for the return of 2,950 plots of land.
Findings reveal that the move effectively brings closure to the controversy surrounding the demolition of structures in the community in September 2022 during the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The demolition affected about 1,550 victims whose homes and properties were destroyed as part of a broader land reclamation drive that also impacted Irhirhi, Arogba, Obazagbon and Ogheghe communities. At the time, the state government claimed the land was acquired in 2017 for a new town project but alleged that land speculators encroached on it, adding that the area was part of the Ogba Forest Reserve at the time of acquisition.
The government further maintained that the lands were duly gazetted and that efforts to engage the four affected communities were rebuffed. The demolition left many residents devastated as they watched their investments reduced to rubble. In protest, affected landowners, including pensioners, staged demonstrations against the action, with some invoking curses on the then governor whom they blamed for the demolitions. Several protesters were reportedly arrested and detained for weeks without trial.
“My house was already at roofing level when it was destroyed. We protested and I was arrested and dumped in the state CID for several weeks without trial,” he said.
However, Governor Monday Okpebholo, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the time, had promised during his campaign to return the land to its rightful owners if elected. True to his pledge, the governor constituted a committee to investigate the issue and facilitate the return of the land. The committee, headed by Dr. Tony Ikpasaja, verified documents submitted by affected property owners.
Yakubu Musa, then Commissioner for Lands and Housing and now Chief of Staff to the governor, said the hopes of the people of Oke-Oroma had been restored following the authentication of ownership documents and the commencement of allocation letter issuance.
His words, “Based on the approval of Gov Okpebholo to return the land seized by the previous administration at Oke-Oroma to developers, and property owners, we commenced a one week exercise to authenticate true owners of the land and return the same.
“We have commenced giving out the offer letters as we have about 1,550 beneficiaries that will be given letters to cover 2,950 plots of land.
“While distributing offer letters to beneficiaries, surveyors have started working on the land to physically demarcate the plots while bulldozers are already cleaning the plots and by next week the plots will be given back to the genuine owners.
“We commend the governor for showing that governance has a human face. Gov Okpebholo has brought joy to the hearts of the people of Oke-Oroma Community who thought they had lost all their investments.
“He promised during the campaign that he would return the land to genuine owners and that process has already commenced. This exercise has shown that governor Okpebholo truly loves Edo people as he ensured justice is served for the people of the community.”
Beneficiaries have since expressed gratitude to Governor Okpebholo for restoring their properties. Collins Ojo, coordinator of the group, praised the governor for his commitment to justice and fairness, noting that the return of the land has brought renewed hope to residents who believed their investments were permanently lost. The development has been widely described as a demonstration that governance can indeed have a human face.
