Lagos retirees, landowners protest forceful takeover of property
28 January 2022 |
2:49 am
Retirees of the Lagos State and landowners of Ewu Elepe scheme, Ikorodu have protested intimidation and forceful takeover of land from the original allottees.
Retirees of the Lagos State and landowners of Ewu Elepe scheme, Ikorodu have protested intimidation and forceful takeover of land from the original allottees.
The protesters who barricaded the Government House, Alausa, Lagos yesterday with different placards, said they have not been allowed to have access to their land since 1995 despite having the Certificate of Occupancy (CofO).
Speaking on behalf of the allottees, Bosede Nwachi said they were at the Government House and the Lagos State House Assembly to plead with the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and members of the House of Assembly to rescue them from the overbearing, violent, and forceful takeover of their land by Omo Oniles claiming to be owners of the allotted land by the state.
She said: “Since the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu through to the duo, Babatunde Fashola and Akinwumi Ambode, the respective allottees were at various stages allotted the individual plots of land within the Ewu Elepe Scheme and letters of allocation and CofOs were issued. Since the allocation, a group of people who identified themselves as Omo-onile from Ewu-elepe, Ginti, Oshota family, and the self-acclaimed Oke Eletu Regent, Nofiu Kasumu, have continually used armed thugs to chase us away on regular basis, to prevent us from either developing or making meaningful development on our respective land. They have either violently attacked us, chased or beaten our workmen.”
She added: “While we are kept at bay, they embark on the sale of portions of land and stood armed thugs to protect their assignee and prevent us from entering the land. Some parts have turned to perpetual illegal land dredging sites for over eight years. Some of the allocated blocks have also been turned to shooting range between two rival families of Oke Eletu and Ginti, which threatens the life, and peace of the environment;
Speaking on the efforts made before the protest, she said: “As stakeholders, we made Petitions to Area N Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Ijede, however, the Unit was not able to do anything.”
“In line with the directive of the state on acts of Land Grabbing, in our collective interest, with confidence and hope, we made our respective Petitions to the Committee on Anti Land Grabbing under the Lagos State Government. We have collectively over 1,000 Petitions.
Akinjinrin Adefajo who retired from the Lagos State civil service in 2007 said: “They have been excavating sand with impunity and we only pray that landslide doesn’t happen. The land was allocated to me in 1995 and we can’t access the land ever since.
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