Demolition of entertainment resort, illegal, court tells Delta Govt
UGHELLI- A High Court sitting in Ughelli, Delta State has declared the November 15, 2011 demoiltion of Giddy's Place, an entertainment resort by the state government illegal.
It also awarded N200 million exemplary damage against the state government and ordered it to within seven days, unseal the premises of the entertainment resort located at Asaba, the State capital.
Agents of the state government had on November 15, 2011 supervised the demolition of the structures of entertainment resort on grounds that they were illegally erected in a residential area without permit and had since then sealed off the premises.
Delivering his judgment in Ughelli on Tuesday, Presiding judge of the court, Justice Michael Obi held that the state government had resorted to "self help" in its attempt to get the owner of Giddy's Place to comply with the provision of the law when the time given to the management of the entertainment resort to correct the defects had not expired.
He maintained that it was wrong for the demolition to have been carried out without a court order, particularly when Mr. Gideon Nwaomu, the owner, had applied for permit to convert structures to commercial purpose on the land.
He said the owner was still waiting for response from the government before its agents moved in with their bulldozers and demolished the structures.
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