Buhari vows to punish military officers selling Urhobo lands

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday assured the Urhobo nation of Delta State, that military officers selling the lands donated to the military will be dealt with.


He also promised them that his government will not forget Urhobo nation in his development agenda.

President Buhari gave the assurance when the Urhobo Traditional Rulers, Leadership of Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, and Urhobo  members in the All Progressives Congress, APC, paid him a courtesy visit at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The President pleaded with the Urhobo nation to protect oil installations in their communities the way they protected it during the 16 years administration of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

He, however, told them that the request for Urhobo person in his cabinet may not be possible as the Constitution has specified that there will be one person from every State of the federation without mentioning a particular community the person should come from.

The Urhobo nation in their address read by the President General of UPU, Olorogun Moses Taiga told the President to ensure the restructuring of the country and that there was serious hunger and poverty in the country which required immediate solution.

They also demanded that President Buhari should appoint an Urhobo indigene in his cabinet, stressing that Urhobo is the biggest ethnic group in Delta State and the fifth biggest ethnic group in the country.

They Urhobo nation complained that the military was selling Urhobo lands that were donated to them and pleaded that the President should help them recover their lands which they claimed had been unutilised.

“We urge the federal government to look into the issue of unutilised lands which we voluntarily donated to the military years ago but which are now being farmed out in parcels and sold for non military uses. We request that such lands be returned to the owner communities in Urhobo land.”