Contested Demolition in Libreville: The ABA’A MINKO Family Cries Injustice
A building valued by its owners at 400 million FCFA was destroyed without official notification, according to relatives of the former presidential candidate, amidst a twenty-five-year-old land dispute.
A building belonging to Rolland ABA’A MINKO, a former candidate in the 2016 presidential election, was demolished this Friday, December 12, 2025, in Libreville in the owner's absence, despite the site being subject to a land dispute since 1998. His brother, Emmanuel OYONO, claims that the police forces presented no legal authorization before destroying the premises. The family points the finger at the son of OKWÉLÉ LEBOUSSI, the opposing party in the case, accusing him of taking advantage of the owner's absence. The value of the destroyed property is estimated at 400 million FCFA, and legal action has been announced.
Present during the demolition, Emmanuel OYONO, Rolland ABA’A MINKO's younger brother, is still in shock. According to him, the police forces mobilized "showed no document, no decision, no title" authorizing the destruction of the building. The agents allegedly even assured that authorizations would be presented "after the demolition," which never happened. Rolland ABA’A MINKO, former presidential candidate in 2016 and owner of the premises, was traveling in Bitam at the time.
The matter is part of a long-standing land dispute. Since 1998, ABA’A MINKO has been in opposition with the OKWÉLÉ LEBOUSSI family, former Advisor to President Omar Bongo Ondimba, who claims ownership of a vast perimeter ranging from Montagne Sainte to the Léon-Mba junction. According to Emmanuel OYONO, it was OKWÉLÉ LEBOUSSI's son who allegedly ordered the demolition, taking advantage of his brother's absence. The case is reportedly still pending before the Court of Cassation, which has not yet rendered a definitive decision.
The destroyed building, a complex of shops and residences, is estimated to be worth around 400 million FCFA. For the ABA’A MINKO family, this operation appears to be an attempt to "prolong" a previous sale made by the OKWÉLÉ LEBOUSSI family to a Lebanese national, a former neighbor of the site. Facing what they consider to be a "show of force," the family affirms that they will take legal action "in the coming hours" to put an end to this land conflict that has been agitating this Libreville neighborhood for over two decades.
