A popular social media activist in Benue State, Prince Aondona Isaka has cried out for help saying that the state governor Hyacinth Alia is after him and is using the Benue State Urban Development Board to forcefully and illegally evict him from his Makurdi apartment for criticizing his government.
Prince Isaka who narrated his bitter experience said that in early December, the state Urban Development Board isolated the house where he is living for demolition leaving any other building in that area untouched.
“Last week a friend called to let me know that there is a concern about the house I stay at. I asked him but he said I will be notified soon. About four days after, he called again and asked me if any thing had happened and I said no. A few days later, my wife told me that our neighbour brought a letter to her that it was from Urban Development Board that the house was built without a site plan, so they are giving me a month to prove otherwise, else the house will be demolished.
“Yesterday I met this friend of mine at Modern Market and I confronted him and he revealed to me that the order was indeed from Government House. Their thinking is that I own the house, but I’m not the owner of the property”.
Prince Isaka continued that yesterday (18th December 2023), his landlord called him that he had received a call from the Benue State Urban Development Board who pointedly told him to either send his tenant (Isaka) packing or face the consequences.
“My landlord told me that officials of the board said if he is the real owner of the house, he should bring the house documents to prove to them that he is the owner. According to him, they said if he is the owner he should send me packing or they will demolish the structure, a shocked Isaka stated.
The social media activist has been one of the dogged critics of Governor Alia who have been demanding transparency and accountability from the Benue State Governor pointing out that a lot of funds have been coming to the state since June as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy but Governor Alia does not want anyone to question the manner in which he is handling the state resources.
Isaka has also been one of those who faulted what many described as the illegal dissolution of elected local government councils in the 23 local government areas of Benue State by Governor Alia even when there was a prevailing court order stopping such an action.
The activist who has a young family is worried that the Benue State governor Alia wants to victimize him unfairly for merely holding alternative views on governance in his state. He wants concerned Nigerians to save him from victimization in the hands of the governor.
This is not the first time that Governor Hyacinth Alia is in the news over the harassment of his critics. In August, another social media activist, Paul Gyenger was arrested and remanded at the Makurdi Correctional Centre for two months before he was released after pressure mounted on the Governor to free the young man.