Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has approved the payment of ₦914 million in compensation to the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Youth Leader, Mr. Tony Adun, popularly known as Kabaka, over the demolition of his hotel.

The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Paul Ohonbamu, disclosed this on Friday after the State Executive Council meeting in Benin City.

He explained that the approval was based on a court judgment in favour of Adun, stressing that the current government had a duty to implement the ruling.

“As a governor who believes in the rule of law, EXCO has today approved the sum the court asked to be paid. This shows that we have a governor who is thoughtful, law-abiding, and committed to justice,” Ohonbamu said.

The demolished facility, T. Latifah Hotel and Suites, located in the Ugbor area of GRA, Benin City, was pulled down on February 5, 2020, by the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki. The government had claimed the hotel was built on land belonging to a public primary school, despite a subsisting court order restraining demolition.

Justice Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa of the Benin High Court, who presided over the matter in 2019, had restrained the state government from taking action, but the order was ignored. Okungbowa is now the Chief Judge of Edo State.

Earlier this year, during Democracy Day celebrations, Adun revealed in a viral video that Governor Okpebholo and his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, had also promised to rebuild the demolished hotel for him.