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Residents demand N10bn over demolition

By Kenneth Okpara Kenneth
07 September 2018   |   4:01 am
Following the demolition of about 800 houses and properties at Glorious Villa Estate, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State, allegedly by a new generation bank, the landlords...

Following the demolition of about 800 houses and properties at Glorious Villa Estate, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State, allegedly by a new generation bank, the landlords under the aegis of Glorious Villa Estate Community Development Association has filed a lawsuit demanding compensation of N10 billion for trespassing, illegal demolition and malicious damage of claimants’ property.

Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday, the community’s lawyers, Vitalis Chukwueke and Nzeteh Ike Reagan, said the disputed land was acquired by their clients legally, and that the bank’s encroachment contravenes Section 28,6 of the Land Use Act of 1978. Also, the Inspector General of Police has been petitioned regarding the illegal use of over 300 police officers in the operation, the lawyers said.

On July 26, 2018, residents of the estate were shocked to witness the demolition that rendered over 3000 inhabitants homeless. Affected residents have been counting their losses. “This pain is too much to bear, and to think that it came from a bank I hitherto held so dear is worrying to me,” lamented Mr. Wise Iyanla.

Spokesperson of the landowners, Chief Olawale Michael Oseni Asegun, who is the Baale of Ilupedan community, said the community is not aware of the persons who represented them and received the sum of N50 million from the bank for compensation of a 200,184 hectares of land.”

Meanwhile, Kelly Egbere, a visually-impaired comedian, popularly known as Kelly Blind, has appealed to the Lagos State government to look into the injustice allegedly meted on him and members of his community. He said he built the three bedroom house in Awoyaya, Abule Parapo, Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State, single-handedly, despite the challenges he faced as a result of his impairment.                   

“I bought a land in 2016 from ‘omo onile’. It was a plot of land and I started developing it. I completed the building around January 2018, so I moved into the property on February 4, 2018. I started staying there with my family. It was not until June this year that about 100 policemen came to the community. They posted something on our building.”

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