Over 28 illegal structures demolished in Benue

From: Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Over 28 illegal structures have been demolished by the Benue State Government on Wednesday.
The structures which were demolished by Benue State Urban Development Board include,10 Access road, two(2)containers on Katsina-Ala handset village, two (2) on Otukpo road as well as 14 shanties on Radio Benue way.
Our correspondent gathered that there was strong resistance at the Katsina-Ala handset village as the owners of the containers and other youths blocked the street, preventing the Police and staff of the agency from carrying out the demolition.
It however, took the intervention of soldiers who were swiftly deployed to the area to enable them carry out the exercise.
Speaking with newsmen, Patrick Akor who is the Leader, Handset Communication Repairers lamented over the destruction, maintaining that no prior notice was given by the agency.
Akor said,”this is what we do to earn a living and now, they have demoliished them without prior notice and we have been paying revenue to government”.
But General Manager, Benue Urban Development Board Mr. Ternongo Mede said they held several meetings with the leaders before embarking on the demolition.
He explained that the essence of the demolition is part of deliberate plans by government to give Makurdi, the State capital a befitting status.
He decried the situation where most of the structures are situated around electricity transformer thereby constituting risk to lives, adding that some structures are mounted by the roadside impeding traffick and danger to commuters.