An 80-year-old widow, Mama Mary Nyam, has appealed to the Benue State Government and members of the public for assistance after her residence in Makurdi was demolished by the state Urban Development Board. The house, located at Abayer Atsu community on the tarred road linking Balcony with Old Otukpo Road, behind the MRS Filling Station (formerly Westside Filling Station) on Old Otukpo Road, was pulled down about three weeks ago.
Mama Nyam, a native of Gwer West Local Government Area and widow of the late Fidelis Nyam, a retired soldier, said the house had stood on the land for more than 50 years. She had hoped to spend the rest of her life there and eventually be buried in the compound. More than 20 people had been living in the house before the demolition. She alleged that the action followed a claim of ownership by a prominent Benue indigene, Mr Adaa Maagbe, who approached her and said he held government documents for the land. According to her, she had also acquired the land through due process.
“I am 80 years old. This is the house I have lived in for more than 50 years. I never imagined that one day I would wake up and see everything I have built pulled down,” she said, fighting back tears. Since the demolition she has been sleeping in the cold and under mosquitoes, with nowhere to hide when the sun is out. Her children and grandchildren have scattered, some seeking accommodation in other people’s homes while others remain stranded. She appealed for immediate support, particularly with accommodation.
When contacted, the General Manager of the Benue State Urban Development Board, Mr Ternongu Mede, clarified that the dispute over the property predated his assumption of office. He said investigations involving the Ministry of Lands and Survey established that the widow’s family was occupying a plot different from the one covered by their Certificate of Occupancy. Maagbe had written to the Board on 18 July 2023 complaining of illegal development on Plot No. BN 10627. The Board subsequently wrote to the Ministry of Lands and Survey on 19 December 2023 requesting verification; the ministry carried out the exercise in April 2024 and confirmed the plot size and beacon numbers contained in Maagbe’s C of O.
Mede stated that the document presented on behalf of the Nyam family was a C of O in the name of Fidelis Nyam, bearing number BN8581, linked to TPS 006A, while the disputed site occupied by Mama Nyam fell under TPS 007A. “They are two different areas,” he said. The Board obtained further confirmation from the Ministry of Lands and Survey, served an abatement demolition notice, and proceeded with the removal. He maintained that the structure was an illegal development and that the Board had no basis to compensate Mama Nyam. “If you have developed illegally, you don’t have compensation. Government cannot compensate you on that,” he said.
Mede added that Maagbe had reportedly indicated a willingness to assist Mama Nyam to leave the property, with an architect conveying a proposed payment of one million naira. He stressed, however, that the Board’s responsibility was to enforce planning regulations and protect the rights of recognised property owners. “Our role is to ensure that every person enjoys his or her property that was allocated to the person. What they did was an illegal structure, illegal development, and it is our duty to remove such illegal developments to give the main owner his right to do what he wants.”
The matter remains open to further clarification, particularly from the Ministry of Lands and Survey on the location and ownership attached to the respective Certificates of Occupancy, and from Maagbe on the reported offer of assistance. For now, the 80-year-old widow remains without the home she says she had occupied for decades and continues to appeal for immediate support with accommodation and other basic needs.
