Benue State Government has commenced the demolition of some illegal residential buildings in Makurdi, the state capital.
The buildings located at Veterinary Quarter in North Bank Community of Makurdi local government area of the state, are numbering about 1000.
According to the General Manager of Benue State Urban Development Authority, Abraham Gbilekaa, who described the structures as illegal, the structures were marked for the demolition because they encroached on government land without Certificate of Occupancy and building approval from the State Urban Development Authority.
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Mr. Gbilekaa said government decided to enforce the law on Thursday after it defeated the community twice in courts and gave them more than six months grace to relocate.
During the demolition exercise, some of the residents were seen in tears pleading that government should give them more time but their pleas fell on deaf ears as the bulldozers descended on their structures.
Those who spoke to journalists said they were deceived by those who sold the land to them.
Some of the victims, Ibrahim Usman, Hassan Sule, and Grace Igochichu, said they bought the land from some people and they never knew it was government land.
Meanwhile, the General Manager, who supervised the demolition exercise, offered solution on how they can secure their land but said for now the needful must be done as the land belongs to the state government.
As at the time of filing the report over 50 illegal structures had been pulled down with over 50 police personnel on ground to forestall any breakdown of law and order.
