Anambra task force defies charms, coffins, demolishes property

As the Anambra State Task Force on Demolition of Illegal Structures continues its ongoing exercise in the Onitsha metropolis despite the Monday sit-at-home, not even the presence of two huge coffins and various charms allegedly attached to a piece of land could scare them from carrying out their duties.

The land, which had already been fenced and situated near the Governor’s Lodge in Onitsha, was said to belong to an unidentified lawyer, had already been fenced and situated near the Governor’s Lodge in Onitsha.

A source in the area told the newsmen that the Monday exercise will mark the fifth time the State Government would be demolishing structures on the land.

It was gathered that since the last demolition of the fence around the property earlier in the year, the lawyer went ahead to build on the land and allegedly placed two coffins and charms at strategic places to scare the demolition team from the land.

However, the government task force, comprising security personnel and officials of the relevant state government agencies defied the charms, pulled down the structures erected on the land and also destroyed the coffins and charms. Speaking after the exercise, the Chairman, Anambra State Physical Planning Board, Chike Maduekwe, who led the task force, said no amount of “intimidation” would make the state government not to reclaim the land which he said was designated for judges’ quarters.

Maduekwe insisted that the state government had made it clear that the parcel of land was designated for judges’ quarters and had started developing the site, wondering why the lawyer, who he described as an “interloper”, would continue to trespass on the land.