The Edo State Government has demolished T. Latifa Hotel owned by Mr. Tony Adun popularly called Kabaka, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the government, the property was demolished because it violated building laws.
The hotel building which sits across a road in the Ugbor-Amagba axis of Oredo Local Government Area of the State was reduced to rubbles at noon on Wednesday, after an injunction secured by Mr. Adun against the exercise was vacated by the state government.
Prior to its demolition, the government had earmarked the structure and others for demolition, stating that they were illegal.
According to court papers filed by the Solicitor General of Edo State, Oluwole Iyamu SAN, the deeds of the transfer being paraded by Mr. Adun is also not registered with the state government.
‘This demolition has no political undertone’
Speaking on the demolition exercise, the media aide to Governor Godwin Obaseki, Mr Crusoe Osagie said the exercise is not a one-off has and has no political undertones.
“It is just one of the many removals of illegal properties either sitting on the right of way, laying on flood paths or violating one building code or the other in the state,” Mr Crusoe stated.
The governor’s media aide revealed that the demolition process has been ongoing since about a year and a half ago; adding that the exercise is an ongoing one that will continue.
Mr Crusoe said the hotel building which was demolished is not a one-off, stressing that it was one of the buildings penciled for demolition by the Edo State Ministry of Physical Planning.
As far as Mr Crusoe is concerned, Nigerians will always claim that every government move has a political undertone, even when the project is in the best interest of the people.
He also stated that there has been a delay in the execution of the exercise because some of the owners of the building earmarked had gone to various courts seeking regress and as such the government had to ensure that the law takes its due course.
The spokesman further revealed that part of the reasons for the delay was to ensure that the issues raised by the individuals concerned were duly taken care of legally before demolition was carried out.
