Olaudah Equino has condemned the move by the Lagos state government to demolish Landmark Beach Resort, reportedly owned by Paul Onwuanibe.
In a notice dated March 19, 2024, signed by O. Samuel, Deputy Director, Development Matters Department of the Lagos State government, Landmark Beach Resort, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos, was issued a “removal notice on the physical development within the right of way (RoW) of the proposed Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project in Lagos State.”
The notice reads, Following the publication of Friday, March 15th, and Saturday, March 16th, 2024, in the two national newspapers; The Nation and The Punch, respectively, for the construction of 103km of the 700 kilometers of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway by the federal Ministry of Works in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, I am to inform you that your property falls within the right of way alignment of the project by 50 meters: ‘Beach Resort, Kids and Bay Area, Member Area, and Lagos Beach Club.’
“Consequently, the affected portion shall be removed in overriding public interest, to pave the way for the road construction project from seven(7) days of serving this notice.
“Given the above, I am to request that you forward all documents supporting your ownership of the property to the Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Blocks 13 and 14, the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.
“Your timely response to the above would be appreciated.”
Reacting to the eviction notice, Olaudah, in a statement on Tuesday, accused the Lagos state government of witch-hunting the owner of the resort on ethnic grounds.
He said that the eviction notice is a consequence of the “senseless, one-sided war of bigotry against a particular ethnicity by the APC as an aftermath of the last presidential elections.”
Berating the federal government, Olaudah noted that “Nigeria has a long way to go” under the APC.
Olaudah’s statement reads They’ve targeted my friend Paul Onwuanibe’s Landmark Beach Resort for the flimsy excuse of their coastal road that may never see the light of day.
“Paulo has been conscientious and deliberate in developing the leisure potential of the city of Lagos, which he calls home. How sad he’s being paid back with a rough coin.
“I thought that this should be a time for healing after a senseless, one-sided war of bigotry against a particular ethnicity by the APC as an aftermath of the last presidential elections. Nigeria, under the APC, has a long way to go.
“Paulo You should channel your investments back home in the East. I hope you’re compensated for this gross injustice.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
