Fresh Questions Over IGP Monitoring Unit’s Handling of Rivers’ Victoria Creek Gardens Wanton Property Demolition Case
By Naomi Onome
Fresh concerns have emerged over the handling of an alleged land-grabbing case involving disputed developed property within Victoria Creek Gardens (VCG) Estate in Rivers State, with complainants accusing the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit in Abuja of failing to conduct a thorough investigation despite months of petitions and interventions.
Investigations by Primetime Reports indicate that the dispute, which centres on alleged forceful takeover of developed properties, wanton demolition of buildings, intimidation of landowners and alleged racketeering of landed assets within Victoria Creek Gardens, have suffered repeated delays that complainants say have enabled the alleged principal suspect, Mr. Micheal Amadi-Orwu, to continue activities on the disputed property.
Several complainants alleged that despite the matter being under police investigation, portions of the disputed property have continued to be advertised, developed and offered for sale, raising fresh concerns over the effectiveness of law enforcement intervention.
According to findings by Primetime Reports, the complainants had escalated the matter to the IGP Monitoring Unit in Abuja after expressing dissatisfaction with the manner in which the case was previously handled in Rivers State.
One of the principal complainants, identified as Hon. Dr. Chris, alleged that earlier investigations conducted by police authorities in Port Harcourt in 2025 yielded no meaningful outcome, prompting him to seek intervention from the IGP Monitoring Unit.
He maintained that his objective was never to negotiate the sale of his property but to secure justice and ensure that criminal allegations surrounding the dispute were properly investigated and, where necessary, prosecuted before a competent court.
According to him, his developed property measuring over 10,000 square metres, including a bungalow, perimeter fence, gatehouse and other improvements, was allegedly demolished before the land was cleared for resale.
He further alleged that pressure had been mounted on him over the years to surrender the property in exchange for compensation which he considered grossly inadequate. The same landgrabber, Mr. Michael Amadi-Orwu continued to threaten him in right inside the IPG Monitoring Team’s office to sell his property to him or lose all. He equally asked the Police officers to convince the complainant to sell the said property to him.
“I approached law enforcement because I am not interested in selling my property under duress or intimidation,” the complainant was quoted as saying.
“My position has always been that I want to retain my legally acquired property and not be forced out by persons seeking to take over land through intimidation.”
The complainant further alleged that during the earlier investigation, the suspect was arrested and detained before being granted bail.
According to him, rather than initiating criminal proceedings as requested, investigators allegedly advised that the matter could only be resolved if he agreed to sell the property to the suspect.
He described the suggestion as unacceptable, insisting that such an approach defeated the purpose of reporting the matter to law enforcement authorities.
The dispute is said to have intensified after the complainants alleged that the suspect continued to enter the disputed property, undertake developments and market portions of the land while investigations were still ongoing.
Previous reports by Primetime Reports revealed that complainants had repeatedly met with senior officers of the IGP Monitoring Unit in Abuja over concerns that the investigation had stalled.
During one of the meetings, senior officers reportedly assured the complainants that the case file would be withdrawn from the then Investigating Police Officer (IPO) and his Team Leader for reassignment.
However, the process allegedly suffered delays after the Team Leader handling the file reportedly became unreachable.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the Deputy Head of the Monitoring Team personally made repeated efforts to reach the Team Leader by telephone to facilitate the retrieval of the case file but was unsuccessful because his mobile phones were reportedly switched off.
While the administrative process lingered, complainants alleged that activities on the disputed property continued unabated.
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One of the affected victims of Amadi Micheal-Orwu’s demolition exercise namely Mr Greg Sokari also expressed concern over promotional campaigns linked to Victoria Creek Gardens which continued to circulate on social media, inviting prospective investors to purchase plots within the estate despite the subsisting ownership dispute.
In one of the promotional materials seen by Primetime Reports, the estate announced its participation at the Obakor Ikwerre International Convention in Houston, Texas, where investment opportunities connected to Victoria Creek Gardens were showcased.
The advertisement has since generated outrage among some of the complainants, who insist that ownership of portions of the property remains the subject of ongoing police investigation.
Fresh developments have, however, raised additional concerns among the complainants following the eventual reassignment of the case to another investigation team within the IGP Monitoring Unit.
According to findings by Primetime Reports, the newly assigned investigators allegedly discovered that the case file contained little or no evidence of investigative activities carried out by the previous team.
Sources familiar with the matter alleged that the file lacked documented investigative steps ordinarily expected in a criminal investigation, raising questions over whether meaningful investigative work had been undertaken before the reassignment.
The development has fuelled allegations by the complainants that the investigation may have been deliberately frustrated to create another setback in the progress of the investigation.
Sources also disclosed that during discussions, one of the investigators allegedly suggested that the matter should simply be returned to Port Harcourt because it involved land-related offences committed within Rivers State.
The complainants strongly opposed the proposal.
According to them, the matter had been escalated to Abuja precisely because they had lost confidence in the handling of the investigation in Rivers State.
They alleged that previous efforts to obtain justice at the state level had been compromised and that returning the case to the same environment would further frustrate the pursuit of justice.
The complainants further alleged that Amadi-Orwu had previously boasted of possessing influential connections capable of frustrating legal proceedings in Rivers State, including alleged claims that he enjoyed protection from powerful individuals.
Primetime Reports could not independently verify those allegations.
Meanwhile, other complainants insist that the police should either complete investigations and prosecute the matter where sufficient evidence exists or take decisive steps capable of preventing further transactions on the disputed property pending the outcome of investigations.
They warned that continued sales of disputed portions of the property could expose unsuspecting buyers to prolonged litigation and significant financial losses.
The dispute has once again drawn attention to the growing challenge of alleged land grabbing, forced evictions and property-related conflicts in rapidly developing parts of Rivers State, particularly along the Port Harcourt Airport Road corridor where rising land values have intensified ownership disputes.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not issued an official statement addressing the latest concerns raised by the complainants regarding the reassigned investigation.
Efforts to obtain comments from Mr. Micheal Amadi-Orwu on the allegations were unsuccessful as of press time.
The allegations remain the subject of ongoing police investigation, and no court has made any determination regarding the claims made by either party.
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