After the demolition of my house last year August 2020, and my subsequent press releases that exposed the injustice that was meted out to me, the Enugu State Governor, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi invited me with my team for a negotiation over my land and demolished buildings.
I engaged Bar. Tagbo Ike, a close friend of the Governor to represent me alongside my lawyer Bar. Alex Amujiogu. Senator Uche Ekwunife was also on the team, representing some powerful interest from my state of Anambra with representative of Igwe Okagbado and President General of Awka-Etiti, my town.
On the appointed day, I was there with Bar.Alex Amujiogu,Bar Tagbo Ike and Senator Uche Ekwunife and representatives of Igwe Okagbado and the PG.of Awka-Etiti. The executive council chamber of the Enugu Government House was filled with all the Commissioners and other state functionaries with the Executive Governor, Hon.Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, presiding.
Some of the commissioners almost wanted to distract the meeting by saying rehearsed things that were not pertinent to the subject of discourse. It was at that point that Senator Uche Ekwunife raised objection, complaining about the numerous people that the Governor invited to the meeting. The Governor had to disperse the people and asked Senator Uche Ekwunife,Bar.Tagbo Ike,Hon.Speaker Edward Ubosi and Hon. Cornelius Nnaji to go into his office for further deliberation. There in His Excellency's office,they were told that a committee would be set up to look into the matter. They were also told that I did not buy the land from Umuenwene Iji Nike Community as I claimed.
As they were about dispersing, Bar Tagbo Ike was given a sum of Two million Naira as PR or for Cola. Prior to the meeting, Bar Ike had insisted on my engaging him with a fee of One million Naira which I paid him the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Naira as deposit. However, after this our first and only meeting with the Governor, Ike stopped taking my calls and started working for the Government against my interest.I demanded for the refund of my Five Hundred Thousand Naira deposit earlier paid to him,he refused to refund and stopped all forms of communication with me. Two days after the mock meeting with the Governor, he deployed air force men on my land and went ahead and reconstructed the damaged fence wall and a tarred road in total disregard of the subsisting and yet to be vacated High Court Order of Mandamus issued on the IGP and the Enugu State Commissioner of Police. About 192 people who bought plots of land from me now have filed cases against the AGF, the Minister for Aviation and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).They have been duly served, but refused to put up any form of defence on discovery that the Governor misrepresented facts to them.So in effect they are qualified to get a judgement on undefended list after three months of filing.This has gone a long way to show that Federal Ministry of Aviation and FAAN have no iota of interest in Airport Road Layout Phase iv and v whatsoever rather they acted initially on the falsehood escalated by the Enugu State Government. All these months, I have engaged in serious prayers and sufferages to atone for the atrocities committed in the demolition of a consecrated Statue and Icon of our Blessed Mother Mary.The head of the Redemptorist congregation from America and five other priests here in Nigeria that performed the religious ceremonies of Enthronment of the Statue and Icon of Virgin Mary in my house gave me prayers that lasted for five months to atone for the atrocious demolition. The major loss suffered in this demolition of my two buildings is the sacrilegious demolition of my consecrated Statue and Icon of our Lady of Perpertual help.Jesus Christ and His Mother Mary know better how to fight for what belongs to them.All those that took part in planning and execution of this evil act will have disastrous consequences up to their fourth generation.Another huge loss suffered in the demolition of my two buildings is the loss of over three hundred Art works bought over a period of twenty five years from different International Art Exhibitions.The works are worth over a Billion naira and some of the Artists that produced the works are no more alive.From the day we met in Government house,two weeks after demolition of my house till date,The Governor and his men have not contacted me, nor made any form of payment to me.I am still looking up to God for justice.
Arc.J.J.Emejulu.
