The Edo State Government has begun issuing allocation letters to eligible property owners for the return of 2,950 plots at Oke-Oroma Community in Benin, bringing an end to a long-standing land dispute.
The dispute, which arose during former Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration, affected 1,550 victims whose structures were demolished in the community.
Speaking to journalists on Friday in Benin, the state Commissioner for Land and Housing, Yakubu Musa, said the issuance of allocation letters has restored hope for the victims.
“The hope of the victims of the Oke-Oroma Community demolition has been restored,” Musa said, noting that the victims had assembled at the ministry for verification of their documents before receiving their allocation letters.
The commissioner explained that following Governor Monday Okpebholo’s approval for the return of the land to rightful owners, the ministry carried out a one-week exercise to authenticate property ownership in the community.
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Some of the beneficiaries, including Adebayo Ogenelkhemeh, Onose Onyegbulem, and Efe Ewemade, described Governor Okpebholo as a “restorer of lost hope,” praising him for fulfilling promises made during his campaign in the area.
The Oke-Oroma land reclamation had previously led to the demolition of over 100 buildings across Irhirihi, Arougba, Obazagbon, and Ogheghe communities. The action sparked a political dispute between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State.
The current exercise marks a resolution of the long-standing dispute and the return of property to the rightful owners in the community.