May 16, (THEWILL) –Â Management of Food Affairs Limited, located at No 1, Uyo/Ikot Ekpene Road, in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has demanded adequate compensation for its business building demolished by the state government.
THEWILL reports that the building was demolished on June 27, 2019, under the instructions of the then commissioner of Works and Fire Service, Mr Ephraim Inyangeyin.
The managing director of the business outfit, Mr Isidore Ebong, in a statement on Sunday, titled “Ephraim Inyangeyin and his Atrocious Trespass and Malicious Destruction of Food Affairs Building”, described the demolition as man’s inhumanity to man.
The statement reads in part, “It is more than two years since the unlawful, ridiculous, ferocious and excruciating demolition of the Food Affairs business premises in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, without due process and payment of compensation, about which the staff and management of the business are still traumatised, while counting their losses.
“The former Commissioner for Works in Governor Udom’s first administration (2015-2019), on June 27, 2019, maliciously demolished a business building belonging to Food Affairs Limited at No.1, Uyo-Ekpene Road, Ikot Ekpene, during business hours without any prior notice and/or payment of appropriate compensation.
“It was a terrible and pitiable scene as staff and customers scampered for safety, and some regrettably left their personal belongings behind as the madness continued.
“Production staff in their aprons, who never knew what happened, narrowly escaped death, almost trapped, eventually came out through the broken back fence to a neighbour’s compound as the building caved in.
“The extension of the edifice used for the bar with assorted drinks and furniture was not spared. Looters had a field day as they packed anything and everything they could lay their hands on as Ephraim gave orders to ground everything.
“To ensure the prompt destruction of first-hand evidence of the demolition, the manager of the facility, who tried taking pictures of the demolition exercise was roughly handled and his phone seized on the instruction of Mr Ephraim Inyangeyen.
“Properties worth millions of naira, ranging from furniture, electronics, refrigerating and air condition equipment, raw, semi-finished and finished food products, fittings, toys, generators, staff personal effects, as well as cash, were smashed by the two bulldozers that abruptly entered the premises on the command and supervision of Ephraim Inyangeyen.
“To attract public justification for this inhuman act, Inyangeyen publicly lied that former Governor, Godswill Obot Akpabio paid the sum of N150 Million, Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel paid N100 Million and he paid N30 Million, as compensation for the same property which was marked for demolition to give way for construction of the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene Road, yet they refused to pack out of the property to enable the contractors handling the road project continue with their work.
