The people of Ikweghwu community in Agbarho Kingdom of Ughelli North Local Government Area in Delta State have passionately appealed to the state government to take decisive steps to apprehend and prosecute some hoodlums harassing and extorting huge amounts of money from prospective developers in the community under the guise of building permit agents allegedly from Ughelli North Local Government Council.
The President of Ikweghwu community, Chief Bright Mowarin, who spoke to newsmen after an enlarged Elders Council meeting at the community town hall, frowned at the act by the said Ughelli North Council agents and called on the authorities to act swiftly inline with the state law prohibiting the collection of development levies popularly known as ‘Deve’ in the state.
Chief Mowarin, who said Ikweghwu community is one of the fourteen autonomous communities that make up Agbarho Kingdom decried the ugly trend which according to him if not tackled immediately, may scare away developers from the fast-developing Ikweghwu community, due to the habitable and peaceful nature of the indigenes.
According to the indigenes, the rapid development of the community may be stunted due to the handiwork of some hoodlums allegedly from the Ughelli North council building permit committee.
These hoodlums they noted constantly invade the community’s new layout to harass developers and ask them to pay development levies called building permit.
Conducting newsmen around some of the affected sites where the hoodlums have carried out their criminal activities, the President of Ikweghwu community, Chief Mowarin said they are worried over the act by the alleged council agents which he said was contrary to the state anti-Deve law passed by the State House of Assembly and re-echoed by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori during his inaugural speech.
Chief Mowarin wondered why the alleged Ughelli North Council building permit agents keep terrorizing developers only in Ikweghwu community without disturbing those in neighbouring communities.
He alleged that the Ughelli North building permit agents keep demanding outrageous amounts ranging from two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand naira, a sum which he said is above the money used in purchasing land in the community.
The President of Ikweghwu community who described his people as peace-loving revealed that youths of the community are already agitated over the ugly act appealing to the state government to wade into the issue, investigate it and prosecute those behind it in line with the state law prohibiting the collection of Deve to avert the break down of law and order in the community.
He disclosed that he had notified relevant authorities of the activities of the said building permit agents, all to no avail; hence he is calling on the state Governor to come to their rescue.
Chief Mowarin expressed concern that if the activities of the hoodlums continue, it may chase prospective developers away, thereby stunting the growth of the community.
