Sand miners accuse NIWA of flouting court order, demand N4.5bn illegal levy refund

Sand Miners Association of Anambra State on Wednesday protested alleged refusal by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to obey Court Order restraining them from disturbing its operations.

The body had dragged the agency to a Federal High Court sitting in the state, presided over by Justice B.O. Quadri, through their lawyer, Mr. Gerald Ezeuko, SAN, wherein it secured a restraining order against NIWA, in a Suit No.FHC/AWK/C/46/2020, over alleged imposition and demand of access fee and sand toll levies.

The protesters who carried placards reading “NIWA all the millions you collect from us as right of way fee, is it not enough” “Sand miners of Anambra State are law abiding people NIWA emulate us”, among others, said the protest was to compel NIWA to obey Court Order.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters on Wednesday, Chairman of the group, Chris Mbaegbu said they had slammed a N4.5bn lawsuit on the federal agency.

He said, ” As a Federal Government Agency, NIWA should show example to Nigeria by obeying the Court Order.

“The Federal High Court Awka has restrained them from further collecting the levies from us pending the determination of the suit, but they ignored the court order and have been coming to our sand pits to disturb us and tipper drivers over the same levies the court restrained them from collecting.

“We have been working peacefully with successive Managing Directors of NIWA, but since the present one entered into office it has been one illegal levy or the other even when we have been paying them millions as license/permits.

“We are demanding in the suit N4.5 bn illegal levies they collected from us and the court stopped NIWA from further collecting any type of fees or levies from us or our customers, apart form the yearly right of ways fees, until the determination of the suit, but they have continued to disobey the court order

“We have the capacity to stop NIWA harassment, intimidation and forceful collection of the levies, but we decided to go to court as law abiding citizens, but NIWA is pushing us to the wall, we are appealing to the Anambra State Police Command to call them to order.

Reacting, NIWA Area Manager, Mrs Queen Uba, dismissed the allegations, saying the federal agency had withdrawn from sand miners pit following the court order, pending the determination of the suit.

She said “I even called the contractor and Managing Director of VAMPT Agregate Company Limited, Mr Stanley Nkwoka to steer clear of sand miners and tipper drivers business.

“I introduced him to NIWA lawyer handling the case and the lawyer expressly told him to steer clear from disturbing the sand miners and tipper drivers. If he is still disturbing them, NIWA is not part of his activities.”