Property owners along the Ibadan Circular Road corridor yesterday staged a peaceful protest across several streets in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, over the alleged demolition of houses by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde.

The protesters, drawn from six local councils: Akinyele, Oluyole, Egbeda, Lagelu, Ona-Ara, and Ido, accused the state government of extending the road setback to 500 metres on both sides, contrary to the original 150 metres approved under former Governor Rashidi Ladoja.

They claimed that the demolition exercise had rendered many residents homeless and led to “untimely deaths” among affected property owners.

Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Corridor is a scam,” “We are dying, Seyi Makinde,” “Don’t demolish 35,000 buildings,” “Development should not be at our detriment,” and “Save our souls from the 500 metres Circular Road,” the protesters called on the governor to halt the exercise.

Chairman of the affected communities across the six local councils, Oloye Ahmed Adedeji Lamolo, urged Governor Makinde to revert to the 150-metre setback, insisting that the 500-metre extension was “a scam” and not part of the original gazette.

He said: “Five hundred metres to the left and right of the Circular Road is out of it. It is not in the original gazette initiated by former Governor Rashidi Ladoja. It is a scam. Stop it now; people are dying over the demolition of their properties. Any development that is leading to deaths is no longer a development. We want the governor to stop the exercise and revert to the 150 metres approved by former Governor Ladoja. One hundred and fifty metres is enough.”

The protesters later marched to the Oyo State Government Secretariat, where they were received by the Executive Assistant to the Governor, CP Sunday Odunkoya (rtd).

Odunkoya appealed for calm and assured the protesters that their grievances would be communicated to Governor Makinde upon his return.