Ogudu landowners protest against land grabbers, threats to life

Landowners at a new estate site on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, in Ogudu Community Muslim praying ground, have protested activities of land grabbers in the community.

They called on the government, the acting Inspector General of Police, the state Commissioner of Police and the Oba of Lagos to come to their rescue and safe their lives and properties.

The landowners, during a peaceful protest at the site, disclosed that they derived their titles and documents from the Fashola family of Ogudu and obtained a certificate of occupancy more than 10 years ago from Lagos State government in respect of their respective holdings in the land in dispute.

Narrating the experience, one of the residents, Prince Wale Oyekoya, lamented alleged demolition of their buildings and threat to lives by suspected land grabbers.

He said there was no challenge from Lagos State government, the family or any individual when they started construction works worth millions of naira on theirs land.

He alleged that on April 19, 2021, a man popularly named Ajibola Bisiriyu stormed their area in company of hired thugs numbering 20, warning them to vacate the land within three days and to stay off for safety of our lives.

“While efforts were being made to report the incident to our vendors and also to verify his claim from appropriate authorities, the said Bisiriyu, on April 22, came to our land with bulldozer, accompanied with armed thugs numbering 30 and demolished all the buildings and structures on the land without a court judgment or order.

“The rubble was not spared as it was parked to an unknown destination for reasons best known to him. The building materials, such as tonnes of iron rod, granite, sand and bags of cement, among others, worth several millions of naira, which we deposited on the land for construction, were carted away to an unknown destination.”

Oyekoya urged the government to intervene in the situation that could cause unrest in the state. Reacting to the allegation when contacted, Bisiriyu denied the allegations, stating that the land in question belongs to Lagos State government and that the land Ogudu Muslim Praying ground is a land for worship.

He said: “The land grabbers sold the Muslim praying ground to them. They did not do their findings before paying the land grabbers and now they are accusing people that someone wants to take their properties. How is that possible in that kind of location?”