Jude Maduka, a Nigerian living in the United States, has petitioned the Delta State Commissioner of Police to step in right away in a matter involving alleged land trespassing.
Through his attorney, Chidel Onuora, Maduka claimed in the February 7, 2025, petition that Dr. Darlington Ijeh, who is currently the state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, had sold him the land, which is close to the Asaba International Airport, in 2017.
Through his attorney, Maduka told South-South in Asaba on Tuesday that he was challenged by people operating on behalf of an unnamed party who also claimed the land when he attempted to develop the property.
Maduka stated that he hoped the police would step in and stop law and order from collapsing.
He stated, “Mr. Darlington Ijeh has been notified of this problem by our client, but to his dismay, he has ceased returning his calls and has said nothing about it.
We wrote to Mr. Ijeh on our client’s behalf, asking for a meeting to resolve the issue, but he has not responded.
“People will be scaring away investors if our client is treated in this way because he is only coming to invest in the state.”
In response to the accusations, Dr. Ijeh emphasised that Maduka has not fulfilled his duty to engage in negotiations with the Umuodafe Family, who have subsequently obtained a ruling from the Supreme Court about the land.
“Is Maduka not supposed to go to the property if there is a problem with it? If someone comes to question him, he will call the person he said sold it to him,” he stated.
What if Maduka turns out to be mistaken? I’ve been getting calls about this issue. We are all human and will inevitably make mistakes, therefore if he has done something wrong, he should go make amends.
Find out when he last gave me a call. I was bothering him to come and verify the land with the family, so he blocked me on the phone. Eventually, he stopped returning my calls.
“He is competent; has he paid all of the bills? He is advising individuals to contact the commissioner rather than come to make amends with the family.
“Now that the family has received a Supreme Court ruling regarding the land, he ought to come for ratification. I was able to secure the land up to this point; is petitioning the best course of action?”
