Abia Judicial Panel Decries Illegal Allocation Of Govt Lands

Abia State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Government Properties and Funds has decried the illegal allocation of government lands and facilities to individuals.

The chairman of the panel, Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe (Rtd) stated this, yesterday, after the members visited the affected facilities in Umuahia, the state capital, and Aba.

At Aba, she directed the zonal surveyor in the Ministry of Lands and Housing, to provide them the survey plans to enable them determine government properties in the area.

The facilities are located at the state Fire Service headquarters, the state Passengers Insurance Manifest Scheme, Ministry of Agriculture, Government Technical College and the state Library Board.

Others were the Ministry of Justice staff quarters extension, Etche Road Primary School, Aba, and some structures located at the headquarters of Aba North local government, Eziama.

Preliminary investigations indicated that majority of the facilities were allocated on lease to individuals by officials of the immediate past administration of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu.

It was further gathered that some of the terms of the agreement by the parties involved were either not officially documented nor communicated to the appropriate quarters as required.

“As I speak, government staff in the facilities do not have reliable information or knowledge of those to whom the said lands or facilities were either leased or allocated to,” said a source.