Ogbe-Ozoma Community in Okpanam town, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, has said that the land presently being developed by Cubana Group was lawfully acquired and formed part of the ancestral inheritance of the community from time immemorial.
The community said that the land was free from any encumbrance, lien, or adverse claim even it described attempt to associate the land with unrelated litigation or a disputed consent judgement as misleading, defamatory and calculated to cause confusion.
The said land is the location on which Cubana Millennium City, owned by Obinna Iyiegbu, a businessman and property developer, is being sited.
The massive real estate project under construction, when completed, is expected to create “a thriving hub of commerce, hospitality, entertainment, and modern living,” unlocking new value along the critical highway corridor of South-South and South East
Following the ground-breaking of the project three months ago and the commencement of construction work, Issele-Azagba, a nearby community to Okpanam, began to accuse the Cubana Group of wrongfully taking their land.
This culminated in a viral video where the people of the community intensified their claim of ownership of the land, accusing Ogbe-Ozoma of unlawfully selling their land to Cubana Group.
But at a press briefing in Asaba, on Thursday, Ifeanyi Ejiofor Esq, the solicitors to Ogbe-Ozoma community, stated that the land was validly, lawfully and legitimately sold by client to Cubana Group and title duly transferred in accordance with all applicable laws.
He stated this in contrast to the claims by Larry Olise, counsel to Issele-Azagba Community who had said that the land was subject to a consent judgement entered in favour of Isele-Azagba, adding that the assertions warrant careful scrutiny as applicable by the law.
Ejiofor added that the said land had never been the subject of any dispute, litigation, or court proceedings before any court in Delta State.
“It is to be observed that the flag-off of development activities by Cubana Group was conducted openly and was widely covered by members of the press, underscoring the transparency of the transaction and the ongoing development.
“There was no pending legal action before, during, or after the acquisition of the land by Cubana Group. Indeed, upon fulfilling all statutory requirements under the Land Use Act, Cubana Group was duly granted a Certificate of Occupancy in respect of the said land.
“The land purportedly referred to in the alleged consent judgment by counsel to Issele Azagba relates to an entirely different parcel of land, which remains the subject of litigation in Suit No. HCI/23/2021 pending before Onicha Ukpo High court, Issele-Uku Judicial Division,” he said.
Ejiofor further said: “We are counsel in that matter and can unequivocally confirm that it concerns a separate and distinct property.
“It is particularly instructive that the same counsel now publicly asserting the existence of a consent judgment in favour of Issele Azagba, with respect to a property whose particulars and location are known to him to be entirely different in size and description, had previously acted for our client, the Ogbe-Ozoma Community, as defence counsel in the same matter wherein that purported consent judgment was procured.”
He urged members of the public to disregard such statements which he said appeared to be orchestrated in furtherance of ulterior motives.
Also speaking, Felix Okafor, spokesperson for the Ogbe-Ozoma Community, in Okpanam, explained that Okpanam had no land issues with the Issele-Azagba community, noting that the land was sold to Cubana in 2019 in the presence of the state government.
Lucky Okolo, president-general of the Okpanam Youth Organisation (OYO), during a peaceful protest held at the Cubana Millennium City site in Okpanam, called on the Issele-Azagba community to desist from alleged land grabbing activities and refrain from laying claim to the land on which Cubana Millennium City is situated in Okpanam.
Okolo appealed to the developer to amend the project’s signage from “Cubana Millennium City, Asaba” to “Cubana Millennium City, Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area,” insisting that the name “Asaba” should not appear on the signpost.
