Unity Estate Residents Decry Alleged Land Grabbing, Forced Evictions in Rivers State

Landlords and residents of Unity Estate in Eneka, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, have raised the alarm over what they describe as an unlawful demolition of their properties and forceful takeover of their lands by suspected land grabbers.

The distressed homeowners are calling on the Governor of the State, Siminalayi Fubara and Obio/Akpor Local Government Chairman, Chijoke Ihunwo, to urgently intervene and halt what they see as a gross violation of their rights.

“We urgently call on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to intervene immediately and stop this injustice,” an affected landlord pleaded.

In the early hours of Wednesday, February 19, 2025, armed men, accompanied by bulldozers, stormed the estate, demolishing houses, pulling down fences, and physically assaulting residents.

The assailants claimed they were executing a court judgment favouring the Rumunduru Community against Eneka Community.

However, affected homeowners insist that no legal notice or court order was served before the violent eviction.

Many residents, who have lived in the estate for decades, were left homeless overnight without due process.

To further compound their ordeal, residents allege that they were prohibited from documenting the demolition, raising questions about the legality of the operation.

Additionally, landlords and tenants were allegedly forced to pay N300,000 in cash as “registration fees,” with bank transfers reportedly disallowed fueling suspicions of extortion.

Although a youth leader has denied any involvement of the local government chairman in the exercise, residents are urging Ihunwo to investigate the incident and clear his name.

The landlords and tenants are also calling on human rights organizations, the media, and well-meaning Nigerians to amplify their voices and demand justice for those displaced by the demolition.