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Despite Court order, Kogi Council Chairman, Attah Igala demolish houses of residents
The Council Chairman claimed that the residents encroached on aviation land and that the demolition work was being carried out by aviation authority.
Residents of Ogwutelechi in Ugboluma Angwa Ayegba Community, Igala in Idah Local Government Area of Kogi State have again raised the alarm that the Council Chairman and his group, including the Attah Igala land, have continued to demolish their houses despite a court injunction.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, some of the residents and indigenes of Angwa Ayegba Community who sold the lands to the Ogwutelechi residents went to the Upper Area Court sitting in Idah and obtained an injunction on July 22 this year, preventing further demolition and other work on the disputed land until court determination.
However, the residents said that the Council Chairman, Abu Odoma and the Attah Igala, Alhaji Opaluwa Oguche, disobeyed the court order and went ahead with the demolition exercise while also building fences around them, denying them access to their houses and threatening to deal with them.
Recall that SaharaReporters reported that the Council Chairman claimed that the residents encroached on aviation land and that the demolition work was being carried out by aviation authority.
However, some of the indigenes of the community who said they were aware when the land was plotted confirmed that the aviation land was different and far from the one being demolished.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, one of the affected residents who simply gave his name as Johnson said, “The indigenes of the community who said that the state government liaised with them before advertising the land went to court and obtained court injunction that that the Local Government Chairman and the Atta Igala should stop the demolition and fencing work on the land but the Atta and his group are still doing the work, destroying people’s properties.
“They demolished a mosque. We are crying to Nigerians for help because we don’t want to add to what is currently going on in the country. Imagine a court gave an order and an individual refuses to obey the order and they are building fences around us. Our cars no longer have access to our houses. Our children don’t have access to go out because they are fencing us in.
“We don’t know what to do again. As I speak, the work is going on there and they are threatening to deal with us and that they will demolish the remaining houses.”
The Council Chairman had told SaharaReporters in a telephone conversation that he was not responsible for the demolition exercise and that there was nothing he could do about it.
But Johnson said that they had made several efforts to speak with the Attah Igala land but they were told that he did not want to speak with them.
SaharaReporters placed calls on the Attah’s phone number but they were not answered.
Following the disobedience to the court order, Johnson said, “We are calling on the federal government and the security agencies to intervene because if we should take laws into our hands and fight them, we all know what it will result to and that is why we are crying to the country for people who are in authority to call the chairman and the Attah to order.
“Where do they want us to go when they do not provide alternatives for us? Should we go and live in the forest and become bandits and train others on how to carry arms? God forbid. Nigeria is our country and we don’t want to contribute to the existing problems because it will be disastrous and that is why we are calling on the government, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, the State CID to intervene because we don’t know their mission.
“We have called on the Attah but they told us that he doesn’t want to talk to us. We are also calling on the Kogi State Government to intervene.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has confirmed that the representatives of the petitioners seeking to recall the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District have now provided their contact details.
In a statement on Wednesday, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said:
“The contact address of representatives of the petitioners, their telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses have now been provided in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Commission.”
He added that INEC has formally notified the senator about the recall petition.
“As provided in Clause 2(a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, a letter has been written to notify the senator sought to be recalled about the receipt of the petition and delivered to her official address,” Olumekun stated.
He further explained that the same letter had been copied to the presiding officer of the Senate and published on the Commission’s website.
Speaking on the next step, Olumekun said INEC would now verify the signatures to ensure that more than 50% of registered voters in Kogi Central signed the petition.
“This will be done in the coming days. The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission,” he said.
Olumekun reassured Nigerians that the recall process would be conducted in an open and transparent manner.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, has commended his principal for assenting to South West and South – South Development Commissions Bills as well as the Nigeria Anti – Doping Bill 2025.
Senator Lado who made the commendation in a personally signed statement, described presidential assets to the bills as monumental milestone and testament to visionary leadership and national progress.
The statement reads: “I extend my warmest congratulations to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for yet another historic achievement his decisive and visionary assent to the South-West Development Commission Bill, the South-South Development Commission Bill, and the Nigeria Anti-Doping Bill, 2025.
“These landmark legislations are a clear reflection of President Tinubu’s relentless commitment to inclusive governance, equitable progress, and Nigeria’s emergence as a global powerhouse.
“His Excellency has once again demonstrated that leadership is not merely about policies—it is about impact, legacy, and a deep-rooted dedication to uplifting every citizen.
“By signing into law the establishment of the South-West and South-South Development Commissions, President Tinubu has reaffirmed his role as a transformational leader who prioritizes regional empowerment, economic expansion, and infrastructural excellence.
Building on the foundation of his earlier assent to the South-East and North -West Development Commissions, it is evident that President Tinubu is deliberate in bringing development across all regions.
“These commissions will serve as catalysts for industrial growth, job creation, and social advancement—ensuring that every corner of Nigeria benefits from his administration’s progressive vision. This is the mark of a true statesman—one who understands that a nation’s strength lies in its ability to uplift all regions without bias.
“In the same vein, the Nigeria Anti-Doping Bill, 2025 is yet another bold step that solidifies Nigeria’s commitment to fairness, excellence, and integrity in global sports.
“President Tinubu has once again positioned Nigeria as a nation of high ethical standards, ensuring that our athletes compete on the world stage with honor and credibility. By domesticating the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sports, his administration has safeguarded the future of Nigerian sports, protecting our athletes from unfair practices while reinforcing our global reputation as a country that upholds integrity.
“This momentous occasion underscores President Tinubu’s unmatched leadership—one that is proactive, decisive, and deeply attuned to the needs and aspirations of the Nigerian people.
His ability to enact groundbreaking policies that foster unity, drive economic prosperity, and elevate our international standing speaks volumes of his unwavering dedication to national transformation”.
News
BREAKING: Key contact details missing in petition to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan – INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has acknowledged receiving a petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District but noted that key contact details of the petitioners were missing.
In a press release signed by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, the commission stated that the petition was submitted with six bags of documents containing signatures from more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district.
However, the covering letter only provided a general location, “Okene, Kogi State,” without a specific address or multiple contact numbers as required by INEC’s regulations.
INEC emphasized that the recall process is guided by the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and its 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.
The commission assured that once the petition meets all requirements, it will proceed with verifying the signatures using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in an open process involving petitioners, observers, and the media.
INEC is currently making efforts to reach the petitioners through other means and urged the public to disregard speculation on social media regarding the recall process.
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