Returned Schools: Abia govt warns churches against selling lands

The Abia State Government has given stern warning to Churches selling parts of the land of schools returned to them, vowing to revoke such lands.

Commissioner for Lands, Hon Uche Ihediwa who handed down the warning yesterday in Umuahia while giving charge to the newly inaugurated Abia State Government Lands title verifica­tion committees, said it was ille­gal for missions to sub-let part of the school premises returned to them for other purposes.

It would be recalled that the state government had during ex-governor Theodore Orji’s ten­ure, returned over 100 schools to churches who were the origi­nal owners on the excuse that churches are better managers of schools.

The commissioner strongly condemned the attitude of some churches engaged in selling of the returned school lands, con­tending that the action was a breach of the terms of the agree­ment they had with government.

“When schools were returned to missions, they were returned with an agreement which was not for the churches to sell the land,” he said.