DAAR Communications plc, owners of African Independent Television (AIT) has been stripped of its ownership of 868 plots of land it currently occupies at Ozuoba in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
The Rivers State House of Assembly revoked the company’s right to the land over what it described as “wrongful acquisition”.
The House acted based on the recommendations of the House Committee on Public Complaints, which sat over the petition by Rumuokwashi, Rumuosi, Ozuoba and Alakahia communities.
The Chairman of the committee, Evans Bipi, on Wednesday told the House that DAAR Communications did not provide the land documents to authenticate it’s ownership of the didputed land and consequently recommended that the company’s right to the land be revoked. It also recommended that the company be allowed to use only the area it currently occupies.
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“The committee after two meetings, took a long adjourned date on the request by the management of DAAR communications, managers of the African Independent Television, to enable them provide the land allocation papers by the State government in 2002, which they failed to provide,” Bipi said.
“The committee recommends as follows: that half of one hectare which is about 10.75 plots of land, approximately 4988.8 square metres be allocated to DAAR communications Plc and the remaining hectares be returned back to the Rivers State government.”
He premised the decision on the fact that DAAR communications reportedly paid about N86.1m for the acquisition of the land, which the House believes was less than the actual cost of the land.
However, the Speaker of the House, Ikuyi Awaji Ibani, averred that DAAR communications, owned by Raymond Dokpesi, who is a strong supporter of the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubaker, could initiate new negotiations with the state government over the land.
