The skit maker had raised an alarm that his house was about being demolished by the Enugu State Government.
A popular Nigerian skit maker, Chibuike Ugwu, who raised an alarm about reported demolition in Centenary Estate in Enugu State, has revealed more details about the incident.
Mr Ugwu, otherwise known as Untouchable, had, on 19 January in a video clip, raised an alarm that his mansion was on the verge of being demolished by the state's urban development agency, Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority.
In the five-minute clip which has gone viral on social media, the skit maker appealed to Nigerians to help him prevail on Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State not to demolish his property.
The state government has since responded to the allegation, explaining that the buildings recently demolished by the agency at the estate were only those found to be used as hideouts for kidnappers.
More details revealed
In another video clip on Sunday apparently shot at the estate, Mr Ugwu said, unlike when he made the first video clip, he has now gotten the full details of what was happening at the estate.
Flanked by his two unidentified associates, the skit manager thanked Governor Mbah for his "quick intervention" and said he was surprised that the governor did not know about the "massive destructions" at the estate.
He said he would not be able to narrate the full details of what he has been made to understand about the estate because the details are very "long and plenty."
The skit maker said, in order not to provoke the governor, he has decided to apologise to him for making the first video, although he did not deny saying there were demolitions at the estate.
"Please, don't be angry. It was my emotions. At the time I was seeing excavators, you understand, I felt this is my only house. So, it was emotions that made me do the first video," he pleaded with the governor in Pidgin English.
On his part, one of his associates, said he and Mr Ugwu "uncovered a lot of things" last Saturday, pointing out that for instance, that they did not know the estate was owned by a private firm.
"We had thought that the estate was owned by the Enugu State Government. But reaching here now, we were able to get the real information regarding this place," he said.
They said they are confident that the matter would be settled, given the governor's intervention.
Background
The estate, popularly known as the Centenary City, is on an expanse of land belonging to Obeagu Awkunanaw and some families in Amechi Uwani, a neighbouring community in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state.
It was, however, said to have been acquired by an estate developer, Private Estates International West Africa, during the administration of a former governor of the state, Sullivan Chime.
The administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, in 2020, initially revoked the Certificate of Occupancy earlier issued to the developer.
The past government later announced that it would begin the demolition of buildings at the estate on 4 May 2023 after it obtained a consent judgment from the State High Court in Enugu on 9 February that year to demolish the properties in the estate.
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PREMIUM TIMES gathered that during the 9 February ruling, the government obtained a consent judgment with the Private Estates International West Africa to demolish the properties in the estate.
Some buildings in the estate were eventually demolished at the time, amidst opposition from Obeagu Awkunanaw Community and some families in Amechi Uwani Community, who are the original owners of the land where the estate is.
There were reports, afterwards, that the developer later recovered the Certificate of Occupancy for the estate earlier revoked by the state government.
The issues concerning the demolition of properties at the estate have been a subject of litigation in various courts for a long time now given that the original owners of the property had been challenging the government over the issues.
