After Vanguard report, Asagba threatens palace takeover of Koka Flyover

By Egufe Yafugborhi ASABA — The Asagba of Asaba, HRM Prof. Epiphany Azinge, has warned that the Palace may be compelled to take over the management of the Koka Flyover if relevant government agencies fail to address the growing abuse of the facility. The monarch gave the warning after inspecting the underside of the flyover, days after a Vanguard report exposed how the facility had been turned into a shelter for young men who sleep and idle there regularly.

During the visit, the Asagba found several persons occupying the space beneath the flyover, with the area littered with refuse and emitting offensive odours. The inspection was part of his monitoring of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Asaba, where he expressed concern over poor sanitation practices and institutional failures contributing to environmental challenges in the city. Azinge said the presence of unidentified persons using the facility as accommodation posed security concerns.

“Recent times, we have seen that a lot of miscreants find this place as their abode. They sleep and wake up here, only God knows what they do. Things that border on crime and criminality which ought not to happen,” he said.

The monarch said the Palace had waited for relevant agencies to intervene but was disappointed by the lack of action. “We have waited for some agencies to intervene. Again, we still have been waiting in vain.

I’ve decided to take it upon myself to also visit this place to see how we can help. If the only thing we achieve is to draw the attention of the agencies involved, then we have done our duty,” he added. He warned that leaving the facility unchecked could pose a wider security threat to Asaba.

“In the event of anything untoward, it will start from here because of the aggregation of youths we cannot account for. Automatically, it will envelope the whole of Asaba,” he said. The Asagba stressed that the flyover must be properly regulated and brought under the control of relevant authorities, adding that the Palace was prepared to take action if the situation persisted.