By Tony Adibe
…He Was Occupying Quater Illegally – Army Source
Imagine sleeping in your residence at about 1:15am and just out of the blue, heavily armed soldiers surrounded your house and forcefully bundled all your family members and your household items out?
Imagine your children and aides sleeping and then realized that about forty armed soldiers were forcing them out of the house they have grown up to know as their family house?
That was the reported situation when armed soldiers from the 82 Division of Nigerian Army, Enugu at the early hours of Wednesday, allegedly invaded the residence of a former Cordinator of Joint Intelligence Fusion Cell of Operation Hadarim Daji, Zamfara State, Colonel Emeka Ngwoke (rtd) and ejected his children and aides.
NewsBits learnt that the retired army officer traveled to Nsukka, his hometown for the Easter celebration, but the presence of armed soldiers numbering about 40 horrified his children, according to an insider. Inside source also hinted that the soldiers removed Ngwoke’s household effects and dumped them in the front of a shop believed to be owned by wife of the retired Colonel.
However, a source at 82 Division, Enugu who spoke on condition of anonymity insisted that the retired Colonel was occupying the quarter illegally. The insider added that “we knew he would like to seek sympathy hence our decision to record everything that happened.” The source claimed that Ngwoke was ejected last year but he refused to leave, adding that “the army will not accept somebody trying to aquire it’s property illegally.”
The insider added: “Why can’t the retired Colonel respect himself and quit the property rather than seeking unnecessary sympathy?”
But briefing newsmen on the development, the rather embarrassed and worried Ngwoke expressed surprise over the development, claiming that the Enugu State Government had already allocated the said property located at No. 7, Abakiliki Road in an estate inside GRA, Enugu to him. According to him, the said property was among the properties belonging to the state government that were used by the army. He noted that when the state government wanted to take over the properties, he wrote them a letter for ownership of the property.
Retired Colonel Ngwoke explained that the letter was dully approved by the state government and expressed surprise over the claim that the property belonged to the Federal Government. He recalled that in 2020 when a senior military officer claimed that the property belonged to the Federal Government, the matter was resolved amicably after interventions.
He said that the army wrote him a letter on March 15, informing him that he should vacate the house within two weeks, stating that it was unfortunate that armed soldiers later invaded his house when he was not around and asked his children to go out of the house. He claimed that when his wife, who was also not around when the soldiers invaded his house ran back to their house to find out what was happening, “she was manhandled by some female soldiers.”
Ugwoke stated that soldiers destroyed his properties and kept some at a roadside that is two kilometers from his house, adding that he was trying to reach out to the state government on the issue. He had written to the Chief of Army Staff asking him to intervene, insisting that the state has monetized the property to him, according to Ngwoke.
He said he was still waiting for the intervention of the Chief of Army Staff when the soldiers stormed his residence. The embattled retired Colonel recalled his ordeal: “Sometimes in 2008, the Enugu State Government wanted to take over the state property that Nigerian Army personnel were occupying, and I am living in one of them. I wanted to benefit from it and the Division said I should meet my state so that if they give me, that’s okay.
“I wrote several applications to the state government and in 2013, the then Governor, Sullivan Chime approved my application. I couldn’t further the process because I was away until 2015 and that was in a critical period when attention is drawn to politics only. When the new governor came, he said I should hold on, that there are series (sic) of committee to verify those things, which eventually ended and I was given papers of the apartment.
“My colleagues understood until 2020 when a certain GOC came around and told me that he wants (sic) to use the place as guest house. And now started claiming that it belongs (sic) to Federal Government, but the matter was addressed and he left it. He set up a series of committee that said the property belong to Federal Government, but we know he was influencing them.
“Nothing was heard again until November last year when GOC send 20 soldiers to my house to come and remove my things but after some intervention from senior colleagues they left. In March 15, 2023, they wrote me and asked me to park out within two weeks, despite my presentation of papers and approvals from the state.
“As I travelled to village for burial yesterday, 11th of April, by 1:15am this morning, 12th of April, my daughter called me because my wife was not around, she was in the hospital and my daughter said that about 40 soldiers invaded our house and trying to forcefully open the door before my house help open the door. They were harassing and beating my children telling them to park their things.
“They started parking my things outside, you can see them here before my wife drive (sic) from the hospital around 2:00am and two female soldiers beat her up on her arrival dragging her to go out of the compound.
“I tried to make call to them to know the problems, I have written to Chief of Army Staff, and I have not gotten response. Why are you invading my house, and nobody is ready to listen to me? I came down to Enugu from Nsukka this morning to the greatest surprise of my life, soldiers invaded my house and destroyed my properties, you can see the air condition, television, everything destroyed and they and keep them there on the street, 2km away from my house.”
