Community Vows to Resist ‘Attempt to Annex Ethiope East Land’ by PRESCO Plc

The lawmaker representing Ethiope East Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Evance Ivwurie, has vowed to resist the alleged oppression and annexation of Ethiope East Community lands of Okpara Water-Side, Igun, Eku and Abraka by PRESCO Plc.

In a press release made available to our correspondent, the lawmaker alleged that PRESCO has forcefully driven his people from their ancestral home and community lands, destroyed agricultural crops and produce worth billions of naira and planted their palms on Ethiope East land spanning over 14,000 hectares.

He said: “Our promise to PRESCO Plc is that your victory today is going to be pyrrhic. “The CofO you parade now is illegal because the Edo State Government has no right to issue you any CofO over community land that is under consternation and dispute.

“That the land that you have illegally and forcefully occupied is not an individual land but community land belonging to Ethiope East and the dispute is being handled by National Boundary Commission.

“PRESCO Plc, you can use all your financial resources to compromise our poor and ignorant individual farmers to sign whatever documents for you after collecting your mess of porridge, but be assured that you have broken the law because the land does not belong to the individuals but the communities.”

In his reaction, the Public Relations Officer of PRESCO Plc, Mr. Tony Uwajie, said: “Is this the first time you are hearing of it. They have always said it; it is the same old story. It is everywhere; it is on WhatApp and other platforms, so there is no need for me to waste my time to comment on it”.