In a landmark decision, a Rivers State High Court has ordered the state government to pay a whopping N1.1 billion in compensation to residents whose homes were unlawfully demolished at Mile One and Two waterfronts in Port Harcourt City. The court ruled that the government had violated the residents’ fundamental rights by forcefully seizing their land and destroying their properties without proper notice or compensation.
The affected residents, from communities such as Egede, Iruala, Elechi Phase One, Elechi Beach Waterfront, Nanka, Ogwu Waterfront, Okwele, and Soku Waterfront, filed a lawsuit against the state government in 2022. They accused the government of illegally demolishing their homes and forcibly taking over their land for urban development purposes.
Justice Sika Aprioku, who delivered the ruling on Wednesday, criticized the state government for failing to provide prior notification to the residents before the demolitions. The court also highlighted the government’s failure to prove that the land had been legally acquired and condemned the absence of alternative housing or compensation for the displaced families. Instead, the government had employed the police to forcibly take over the land.
The court has ordered the state to pay N900 million in compensation for the human rights violations and an additional N2 million as a fine. The ruling has been hailed as a significant victory for the victims, many of whom have lost everything in the wake of the demolitions.
Tonye Igeri, the residents’ lawyer from the Justice and Empowerment Initiative, expressed satisfaction with the judgment, calling it a beacon of hope for those affected by the government’s actions. “This ruling restores hope to the victims who were made homeless by the government’s actions,” Igeri said, adding that efforts would be made to ensure the victims receive the awarded sum, as many have already suffered unimaginable losses, with some even dying due to the impact.
Igeri also advised the government to follow the court’s recommendations by properly identifying property owners, offering alternative housing, or compensating residents adequately before carrying out any future demolitions.
The Rivers State Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the ruling. However, this decision sets a crucial precedent for safeguarding the rights of residents in the face of government actions, and it calls for more transparency and accountability in urban development projects.
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