Vehicles, workers trapped as Anambra govt demolishes Innoson head office

The Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Ifeanyi Okoma, has clarified that the partial demolition of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM)’s head office along the Nnewi-Owerri Road was part of a broader road expansion initiative and not a targeted action.

Responding to concerns raised by the auto manufacturer, Okoma stated that several buildings along the route had been earmarked for removal to pave the way for ongoing road construction.

“These buildings were marked sometime in December or January, we are not looking at individuals; it is something that cuts across the whole place and it is not personalised,” he said.

“Even the Catholic Church and every other building that is along the road were not going to be exonerated. These roads were designed to decongest traffic gridlock experienced during festival periods.”

He emphasized Governor Charles Soludo’s commitment to promoting locally made products, pointing out that he remains the only governor who exclusively uses Nigerian-made vehicles.

“Chief Innoson is our man, anybody trying to create wrong narrative about the demolition exercise does not mean well,” Okoma added.

Despite the assurances, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing has voiced displeasure over the demolition, citing lack of adequate notice and the impact on operations.

Speaking on the development, the Head of Corporate Communications at Innoson Group, Mr. Cornel Osigwe, said the company was caught off guard.

“There was no pre-notification ahead of the demolition; it came to us as a surprise,” he said.

He noted that critical sections of the company’s premises, including the showroom, offices, staircase, and perimeter fence, were damaged, and over 20 vehicles were trapped during the operation.

“We did not know that the building itself was marked for demolition and if it was marked, they should have given us time to relocate.The staff were working and they just saw the demolition vehicle demolishing the building while work was going on.Some of our staff were trapped in the building, it took the efforts of our other staff to rescue those that were trapped while over 20 vehicles were also trapped.”

Osigwe also pointed to inconsistencies in the execution of the demolition.

“A day before the demolition, there was an announcement that there was going to be a demolition and they were going to give one week for the houses that were marked for demolition to relocate.The company was not aware that the company was marked for demolition, and even if it was aware.There have been a public announcement that all the marked buildings have one week to relocate, but all those things were not considered.There were other buildings that were close to the head office and marked for demolition were not demolished but they came straight to our building and demolished it, making us to wonder if there was another ulterior motive to it.”