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How I slept in my car with my children after soldiers locked me out – Enugu housewife
For Ogechi Emmanuel, nothing could be worse that the ordeal she has been through in the last 24 hours including virtually sleeping in her car with three of her children and remaining in the same clothes since Wednesday, after she was thrown out by soldiers of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army.
Narrating her ordeal, she told Whirlwindnews.com that she has been prevented from even having a change of clothes by officers at the command, who she ran to on Thursday morning to plead for mercy to open her apartment for her, while her children had not had real food, but relying on snacks, adding that they went to school in the same clothes they came back with on Wednesday.
She said that the military officers handling her case, who simply sent her away after long hours of pleading for mercy, told her that the only condition for allowing her access into the apartment, was if she was ready to evacuate her properties, warning that even at that she only had a grace of seven days after which they would be thrown out into the street.
Pleading for the authorities to come to an aid, the highly distraught mother of three, who also disclosed that she lived alone in the compound, as her husband, a businessman in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, was not home to share the ordeal, argued that even if those the military men were after committed any offence, there was no way she should be made to suffer.
Hear her: “I’ve been outside with my children since yesterday. I slept in the car with them and I have not been allowed to enter the house since they locked it up. I have been in their office since morning without any positive result. Please, plead with them to come and open my house. We have not eaten any proper food. My children did not also have a change of clothes. They went to school in the same clothes they came back with yesterday.
“They said the only condition they will give to me for unlocking the door is that when they do so, they would supervise me packing out my property. They even said this would happen during the seven-day grace period and after that they will throw my things out. Else, they said I will never have access to that place again. Even to allow me go and collect my clothes and those of my children was denied
“My husband is a businessman. He is in Uyo. He is not here to share in this ordeal. Please let people plead with them to come and open the door. To lock somebody out since yesterday is too much for a woman with children. I didn’t go to my business today. I sell tailoring materials. I have no hope again. Please help me.”
The distressed mother, is a major victim in the current crossfire between Nana Ogbodo, a businessman and politician in Enugu State and the Nigerian Army, over the ownership of a piece of land carved out of property in question situates behind No.7, Abakaliki Lane, GRA, Enugu, which both are laying claims.
In a petition, Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), early in the week, appealed to the Minister of Defence, Muhammed Badaru, to intervene in the saga, alleging that the army authorities at the 82 Division, in defiance to the letter from the office of the Chief of Army Staff that the matter was under investigation by his office, decided to take the law into their hands by supplanting the law.
Giving summary details of the case, the group’s petition, signed by Olu Omotayo, President stated narrated how the piece of land was given to him by Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former governor of the state, to compensate him for his property that was illegally demolished in 2004 by the administration of Chimaroke Nnamani former governor between 1999 and 2007.
Part of the statement read: “In the quest to uphold justice by the former governor of Enugu State Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, vis a vis the Suit No. E/925/2005, filed by citizen Nana Ogbodo, at the State High Court in 2005, his administration gave a COMPENSATORY PLOT of land for the unlawful demolition of Ogbodo’s home by the past administration.
“The property is situated behind No.7, Abakaliki Lane, GRA, Enugu. The property was duly registered and Certificate of Occupancy duly granted to the beneficiary by the state government in January 2022. Mr. Ogbodo, fenced the property round and built a bungalow apartment on the property. The said apartment currently has a tenant occupying it.”
“Trouble he said started on May 1, 2023, when some military officers from the 82 Division of the Nigeria Army visited the property and said the property belongs to the Army that it was among the properties they were holding in trust for the state government, and consequently directed that the landlord should furnish the Nigerian Army 82 Division, with all the documents relating to his ownership of the property.
“Mr. Ogbodo, in response vide a letter dated 1st May 2023, duly furnished the General Officer Commanding (GOC), with all his title documents including the Certificate of Occupancy duly issued by the government. Thereafter, there was no further response to the letter by the military authorities until February 2024, when 82 Division of the Nigerian Army directed occupant of the property to vacate within 7 days.
“Immediately, sequel to the vacation notice, Mr Ogbodo, visited the 82, Division of the Nigerian Army and met the then Garrison Commander and showed him all his documents including the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), but the Army authorities only claimed that the property belong to it without showing any document of ownership.
“On that occasion one of the officers told him that the property was one of the properties captured by the army during the civil war. Mr. Ogbodo thereafter got a lawyer to serve the Chief of Army Staff a “Pre Action Notice” informing the army authorities of his intention to file an action against it in the court of law. The office of the Chief of Army Staff in response vide a letter dated 26 March 2024, stated that it has commenced investigation into the matter and will revert back on its’ findings.
“Regrettably, it was surprising that in a clear act of insubordination, one Major H.Y. Shehu, wrote on behalf of the GOC 82, Division of the Nigerian Army , vide a letter dated 30th April 2024, directed Mrs. Roseline Okoye the tenant on the property to vacate the property within 7 days.
“The hallmark of democracy is the observance of the Rule of Law by the citizenry and all the institutions in the polity, noting that the Army in its’ civil transactions and relationship are bound by the law of the land. The fact that while the office of the Chief of Army Staff is still looking into a matter, an officer of the rank of a Major is threatening to throw out the lawful occupant of the property. This is a grave act of lawlessness and insubordination.
“It should be noted that by virtue of the Land Use Act, the Governor is vested with the sole authority over all state land and not by conquest. The only way the military can claim ownership of the property is to show documentary evidence and not rely on the ridiculous claim of the property being among the ones captured by the Army duringthey the Civil war which took place over 50 years ago.
“We urge you to in the interest of justice and Rule of Law directs the army authorities particularly the GOC 82 Division, to allow the conclusion of the due process initiated by the Chief of Army Staff and also submit to the jurisdiction of the court of competent jurisdiction which is now seized of the matter.”
But in defence, the army dismissed the petition, insisting that the property in question belonged to them and therefore, there was no question of forceful or unlawful acquisition, adding that one Colonel Emeka Ugwuoke, one of their officers, who was allocated the building had to be forcefully removed from it in April 2023 to underscore its ownership.
Signed by Onyema Nwachukwu, a Brigadier General and Director, Army Public Relations, said in a statement on Thursday: “The Nigerian Army (NA) has been notified of a viral petition written by the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN) alleging that 82 Division of the NA is threatening to forcefully and unlawfully take over a property situated at Plot 30, Abakaliki Road, Enugu, which includes No. 7 Abakaliki Lane in the Government Residential Area (GRA) of Enugu State.
“The NA wishes to state that the petition, which also posits that 82 Division, in defiance to a letter from the Office of the Chief of Army Staff decided to take the law into its hand and supplant the rule of law, is completely unfounded and intended to tarnish the ongoing efforts of the NA to restore peace and tranquility in the South East Region.
It is therefore necessary to set the record straight in order not to mislead the public. The said property is the NA property that was last occupied by Col Emeka Ugwuoke Rtd during his service. The senior officer who was allocated the quarter during his service was removed therefrom by the NA in April 2023, when he tried to convert the quarter to his private property after his retirement. Surprisingly, it is on one corner of the property from where the NA ejected the retired senior officer that the trespassers invaded.
“The NA is a disciplined institution that respects human rights and the rule of law. We urge the public to disregard the narrative that suggests the NA is acting unlawfully or without respect for due process. The NA’s position is that the property remains under its ownership, until proven otherwise through appropriate legal channels, and any claims to the contrary are based on misinformation.
“Consequently the NA calls for a thorough investigation and due process to resolve the matter, and it stands ready to present its evidence of ownership to the competent authorities. We also wish to reaffirm our commitment to the rule of law and the proper resolution of this dispute in accordance with Nigerian legal standards and provisions.”
Buildings seized for being used as havens for criminal activities are now to be converting to police bases or residences, instead of demolishing them, if the new proposal by the Anambra State Police Command, sails through.
Ikioye Orutugu, Commissioner of Police, who canvassed for the new arrangement on Wednesday, told reporters that it made more sense putting such buildings to good use than pulling them down or setting them ablaze.
The police boss spoke against the backdrop of the burning down of big edifice in Nkpo, a community in Idemili North Local Government to the state, said to have provided a base for criminals and hideout for kidnappers, as part of the major breakthroughs by the command in recent times.
Three kidnap people including a medical doctor, were said to have been smoked out from the building, which was instantly torched in line with the Anambra State 2025 Homeland Security Laws, which empowers the state government to demolish any property used for or suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Against the backdrop of the number of buildings that had previously been pulled down, and the empty land taken over as government properties, the police boss, said it was not the best thing to do, insisting that the government should rather acquire such buildings and designate them as police posts or residences of police personnel.
Reeling out the streak of successes recorded in recent times in the state, the police boss, said they included the arrest of kidnappers, cultists, armed robbers, child traffickers, sexual predators, separatist agitators and other criminal elements.
Citing one of them as “the strategic clearance operation on 7th May 2026 in Owerre-Ezukala, Orumba South Local Government Area, he said: “Recall that the camp was earlier destroyed by a Joint Security Team. Before the confession, one Nnamdi Nkemdilim Ogbonna, male, aged 37 years, allegedly one of the top commanders of the proscribed secessionists group, is in custody as well as intelligence received overtime points on how some escaped gang members were attempting to regroup.
“The offensive operation led to the recovery of one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) with about 2,000 rounds of live chain ammunition, two fabricated rocket launchers with 25 propellers, 10 locally made Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), one locally made Beretta pistol, two pump-action guns, three hand grenades, 10 rounds of K2 live ammunition, one gas cylinder and one black Ecolac box.
“The operatives also dislodged the armed criminals and sustained operational dominance in the area to prevent any regrouping. We remain committed to sustaining ongoing operations against all forms of criminality and ensuring the safety and security of Anambra people.”
The door is now shut permanently in the face of the Federal Government towards taking up the 12.5 – being the remainder of its proposed 20 per cent stake in the Dangote Refineries, Africa’s first privately owned concern.
That means the government would now be stuck with the 7.5 per cent only it was able to pick up and which it currently holds in the $20 billion, 650 barrels per day capacity refinery, which came into operation in 2023 as the concern is insisting it is no longer interested in the remaining 12.5 per cent stake.
Instead of the government, the organisation, currently responsible for the supply of the major chunk of petroleum products in Nigeria and many parts of Africa, is now planning to bring in ordinary Nigerians into the mix to lap up the stake in the near future.
Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, who made the revelation, Nicolai Tangen, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), that the group had since rejected requests by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, to increase its 7.25 per cent stake in the firm.
The PUNCH, quoted the African Richest Man (ARM), as saying in the interview that the NNPC’s offer to increase its 7.25 per cent stake in the refinery was rejected because the company Dangote was planning to go public and give other Nigerians the opportunity to own shares in the plant.
Dangote had revealed that after acquiring the original 7.5 per cent in 2021, for $1bn, with an option to acquire the remaining 12.75 per cent stake by June 2024, NNPC Limited began to stall, and ended up reneging on its decision.
However, the national oil company had made attempts to acquire more stakes in the refinery, since that, but this was turned down, adding that the biggest risks the business could face were either civil war and government policy inconsistencies.
Hear him: “Actually, if there are civil wars, which is not in the offing at all. The other biggest risk is government inconsistencies in policies, and we are addressing that one because if you look at our refinery, the national oil company already owns 7.25 per cent, and they are trying to buy more. We are the ones that said no; we want to now spread it and have everybody be part of it.”
Dangote, had in 2014, informed Nigerians on how, Mele Kyari, former Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (GMD-CEO), had reduced NNPC’s stake in the refinery from 20 per cent to 7.25 per cent.
He had said then: “The agreement was actually 20 per cent, which we had with NNPC, and they did not pay the balance of the money up until last year; then we gave them another extension up until June (2024), and they said that they would remain where they had already paid, which is 7.2 per cent. So NNPC owns only 7.2 per cent, not 20 per cent.
The business mogul, who painted a seducing picture of what is at stake in the new opportunities, including the provision of getting dividends in foreign currencies, told his Norwegian host: “What we are announcing is that when you invest in any of our businesses going forward, in cement or in the refinery, in petrochemicals, in fertiliser, we guarantee to pay you a dividend in dollars because we are very well into exports. 80 per cent of our revenue will be in dollars.”
Explaining how he sourced funds for building the refinery, from various financial institutions, including Nigerian banks, he said the initial plan was to fund most of the construction work from our internally generated funds, but because of naira devaluation, the group had to rely on Afreximbank, Africa Finance Corporation, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, UBA and a couple of the local banks.
“But of course we also have a very good relationship with the Standard Bank of South Africa and, at the beginning, Standard Chartered Bank of the UK. We were lucky and what happened when the plant was completed turned out to be much more than our own expectations.”
The coast has brightened for Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, having been given the opportunity of obtaining the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for next year’s governorship election, contrary to reports in some quarters that he has been denied.
Vanguard reports that he was one of the 30 governors cleared by the party’s screening committee, including Hope Uzodimma of Imo, a two-term governor, who is currently eyeing a seat at the Senate.
Others cleared, included Sarafadeen Alli, former Secretary to the Oyo State Government (SSG), for the 2027, the report said, quoting sources, who revealed that the screening report was yet to be released due to a deluge of petitions flooding the party.
To beat the deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for the submission of the list of the names of successful candidates, the party said it now would publish the names of cleared aspirants on May 13.
Regarding the dithering on the release of the 2,980, comprising of one aspirants for one presidential slot, 28 governorship, 109 Senate, 360 House of Representatives, and 991 state assembly positions, a source was quoted as saying: “We are still working on the screening report to make sure everything goes well. The day is not over yet.
“We received many petitions from the eight panels that conducted the primaries. For instance, one of the panels received 10 petitions and the petitions have to be treated on their merit.”
Regarding the fate of Fubara, the source was quoted as saying the governor, whose tenure has been dogged by much of internal and external battles even after joining the APC last year, the source confirmed that he was not disqualified as speculated.
His words: “Nooo! No governor has been booted out. The party has always supported its governors. Some of them like Uzodimma got automatic clearance. To ensure we have a united front in 2027, we are working towards consensus but where that fails, direct primaries will be held in accordance with the Electoral Act. We know some of the high-profile aspirants don’t want to consent, and are ready to go to court. We don’t want that.”
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