Family appeals to Ambode over land encroachment

The Igbaro Oteshade royal family of Oko-Addo, Eti Osa Local Council of Lagos State, has sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) appeal to the state government over alleged encroachment of its property. .

Baale of the town, Chief Olayiwola Lawal, head of the family, Pa Mojid Balogun; and the secretary, Asset Management Committee, Prince Malik Eshinlokun, led the charge as family members took to the street, carrying placards with various inscriptions.

The family complained that an ex-Army Brigadier-General (names withheld), was encroaching on their land and harassing them with uniformed task force. They, therefore, appealed to the government to save them from invaders, as its members wouldn’t want to take laws into their hands.

Eshinlokun said the family inherited about 79.994 hectares of land from their ancestors, who founded the area known as Igbaro Oteshade. “Since then, we have been in exclusive possession of the land and have been exercising various acts of ownership on it by farming, building and even alienating portions of same to third parties without let or hindrance.

“This land has now been decimated by the government, indiscriminately allocating several hectares to individuals, families and corporate bodies without due process. Rather than release the land to the family by way of excision, (official gazette) the state government in two separate releases, allocated 50 and 60 hectares respectively, to us.

“Consequently, a Brigadier General (rtd.) under the auspices of Urban Cooperative Society, Badore, showed up with another allocation document, which encroached on our allocations. All efforts to resolve this have been frustrated by the officer who had resorted to brute force to intimidate family members, as well as demolish our property,” the family lamented.