The Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of the Nigeria Police, Zone 5, has received a petition from a Benin City resident, Mrs. Isioma Samuel-Iduh, alleging malicious destruction of her garden, unlawful invasion of her rented apartment, and repeated threats by members of the Eweka family and their associates.
In the petition dated May 27, 2025, Mrs. Samuel-Iduh, a self-described law-abiding professional residing at 2, Oyaide Avenue, G.R.A., detailed a disturbing pattern of harassment since she and her family moved into the property in March 2024.
According to the petition, Mrs. Samuel-Iduh obtained permission from her landlady, Prof. (Mrs.) Agnes O. Awharitoma, to cultivate a garden on a vacant portion of the land. However, tensions arose in July 2024 when a local security guard named Sule had his crops bulldozed by the Eweka family.
Undeterred, Mrs. Samuel-Iduh proceeded with her gardening in February 2025 after clearing the land. Soon after, she faced repeated interference, including an incident where a bakery owner, Mr. Henry, allegedly dumped shattered glass on her garden and later drove over her crops.
The situation reportedly worsened when an elderly man—whose full identity remains unknown—confronted her, questioning her right to farm on the land and allegedly warning that her crops could be bulldozed at any time.
Mrs. Samuel-Iduh claimed that one Mrs. Eweka later joined the harassment, sending a guard to destroy her crops on April 25, 2025. The most severe incident occurred on May 19, 2025, according to her petition, when Solomon Eweka and others allegedly stormed her garden, uprooting vegetables with spades before later returning to poison the land with herbicide.
She further alleged that five men dressed in army uniforms were stationed near her residence that same day, purportedly hired by the Eweka family to intimidate or abduct her and her spouse. A distress call to the police reportedly yielded no immediate intervention, forcing her landlady to step in and relocate them for their safety.
The petitioner raised serious concerns over what she described as the apparent impunity of the Eweka family, questioning why her garden was targeted while others, including the Edo State Chief of Staff’s livestock, faced no such threats. She also challenged whether gardening had become a crime in G.R.A. and whether security personnel should be involved in civilian disputes.
Mrs. Samuel-Iduh has called for urgent police intervention to prevent further injustice.
