Litigants hail Edo Properties Protection Committee for renewing hope among communities

Some victims of land grabbing in Edo on Friday hailed the State Private Properties Protection Committee, describing the members as peace advocates .

According to reports, the committee,  which is headed by retired Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga,  was described by some petitioners and respondents in Benin, as being  in the frontline of advocacy for restoration of peace and harmonious living among communities.

Some of parties to land disputes spoke on the sideline of some petitions being determined by the committee.

Mr Michael Ehizogie, a rural farmer from Okhuoromi community, said: “If not for this committee which recovered my landed property grabbed  in Okhuoromi,  my own community, I would have been dead by now due to hypertension.

 ” It is the only tangible achievement I have made as a low income earner who worked and retired from service over 10 years ago.

Madam Helen Ohonba, whose son also recovered his land in Obazagbon community, also showered encomiums on the state government and the committee.

“This committee is a legacy committee by this government.  God will bless Obaseki and all the members for standing by the truth that they have investigated and seen for themselves.

“Truth and Peace always prevail here,”  she said.

ln one of the cases for settlement, Mr Sunday Igbinedion,  a petitioner, said

respondents  in his case were appealing to him to take N1m as settlement, but he refused and asked for more.

He said it  had never happened, adding that victims of land grabbing now had cause to smile after visiting the committee.

According to reports, the Committee has overtime recorded landmark resolutions in addressing land grabbing and in systematically guiding parties towards relinquishing grips on people’s property.

However, during the sitting, Chairman of the Committee, discouraged petitioners from filing cases before the committee and instituting cases at higher courts.

To assure the petitioners that the Committee would not compel parties to remain at its level in seeking redress, the chairman, however, advised petitioners, to either continue with the court, which is a higher authority, or proceed with the committee.