••• building stripped of doors, windows; store, fence destroyed, power supply cut off

A 62-year-old widow, Mrs. Nkechinyere Ndukwe, has appealed to the wife of Abia State Governor, to urgently intervene and prevail on some persons who have been tormenting her since January this year, from evicting her from her property.

The appeal is contained in a Save-my-Soul letter raised by the Human Rights Committee of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Umuahia Branch, on behalf of the widow and addressed to Mrs Otti.

In the letter, Mrs. Ndukwe, a retired headmistress, complained that some persons erroneously claimed they had bought her property at Plot 62 Mission Hill, which was popularly known as Novotel Hotel, Umuahia, before its conversion to residential accommodation.

According to the widow, the same people have been intimidating her to sign a document suggesting that she had sold the property to them. But she refused to sign.

She stated that the said people claimed they had bought the land from his son but she told them that she jointly owns the property with her daughter and son, hence it couldn't have been sold by her son alone.

Mrs. Ndukwe further said that as co-owners of the property they were not aware of any transaction whatsoever in which her son was purportedly involved in, adding that she and her daughter were "not desirous of selling their property".

The letter alleged that men, armed with dangerous weapons, stormed 62 Mission Hill and maliciously damaged and destroyed properties therein by completely breaking down the fence and portions of the residential building.

According to the letter, in the early hours of January 29, 2026, persons believed to be hired hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons, invaded and broke into the widow's property, cut off her two metal gates and burglary proofs completely with cutting machines and carried same away.

Having created unrestricted access into the property, the thugs were said to have returned, at intervals, to wreak havoc on the property by further removing and carting away materials from the building that hitherto served as Novotel Hotels.

"Since then, they have not let the poor widow rest but have been making her life a living hell, dragging her from one police station to another as well as using thugs to demolish her residential house where she lives," the letter read in part.

"They have completely carted away all the electric wires, electric meters and power cables in the building thereby throwing the woman and her grandchildren living with her into utter and complete darkness for weeks now.

"They have also completely broken down her fence round her building thereby leaving her unsecured and a target for attacks as a result of her now insecure premises," the letter added.

A visit to the property showed that the hoodlums have gone further and de-roofed the same building, removed all the windows and doors and carted them away.

Appealing to Governor's wife to act swiftly to save the widow, the NBA Human Rights Committee said: "They further threatened that they are coming back with bulldozers to completely demolish Our Client's residence and render her homeless; forcefully carry our client out of her property aforesaid either dead or alive."

The rights group said that the senior citizen "is a poor widow and a retired school teacher and has no other place to go and find succor" hence the urgent need for the intervention of the Abia First Lady.

"We humbly therefore urge you, Your Excellency, to use your good offices and intervene into this matter as the widow is now at her wits end.

"She has complained to the Police but it seems these men are too powerful than the Police as they have continued in their persecutions against her despite her series of complaints to the Police.

"She has no other hope now than to cry to you as the mother of the state to come to her aid before these persons aforesaid ultimately eliminate her, which appears to be their final objective, knowing full well that she is a geriatric and hypertensive patient," the NBA group pleaded.

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