Fashola seals off Kalu’s house

• He did it over comments against Igbo deportation – Ex-gov’s aide

Lagos State government yesterday sealed off a property belonging to former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, in Park View Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos. This is coming on the heels of Kalu’s condemnation of Lagos government’s deportation of 72 residents of the state, mainly South Easterners, to Onitsha, Anambra State. Read more

Kalu had, after the deportation, told Fashola to apologise to the Igbo for the deportation and threatened to drag him to court if he failed to do so. Daily Sun gathered that officials of Lagos State swooped on the Park View property and placed a seal on it. No reason was given for the action.

Speaking on what happened, Special Adviser (Media) to Kalu, Mr. Emeka Obasi, said the sealing off of the former governor’s property was done as a revenge for his criticism of the Lagos government’s deportation of Igbo and others.

Obasi said the property had been there for several years, wondering why it’s after Kalu criticised Fashola over the deportation issue, that the government sealed it off.

He stated: “Why is it that it is now that the property is being sealed, barely two weeks after my boss disagreed with the action of Fashola? We maintain our stand and this will not distract us from fighting for the people.

“The action of the Lagos State Government remains unconstitutional because every citizen of Nigeria has a right to live in any part of the country.

“Fashola should remember that the Igbo community constitutes about 35 per cent of registered voters in Lagos State and they should be treated like they matter in the scheme of things.”

Meanwhile, the state government said in a statement yesterday, that “the property was destrained pursuant to Section 40 of the Revenue Administration Law of Lagos State for failure to pay the statutory annual land use charge.”

It was added that when the issue was brought to the attention of Governor Fashola yesterday evening, he directed the agency to unseal the property and that 14 days grace period be given to Kalu to pay the said charge.


Culled The Sun newspaper