•We were unjustly arrested, tried and remanded in prison, says Baale
•Assembly promises to wade in
By Elizabeth Osayande
RESIDENTS of Osun-Egbado Mowo in Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Badagry, Lagos State recently led a protest at Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s office in Alausa over the demolition of their houses by some alleged land grabbers.
The demolition of some houses in the community was reportedly carried out by a firm, Advanced Engineering Consultant Company.
Also, the Baale of the community, Oloye Olabintan Ayuba, alleged that he and some members of his cabinet were unjustly arrested, taken to Adeniji Adele Central Police Station, tried at Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, and remanded in Ikoyi Prisons before being released on bail.
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The aggrieved community members, who staged a peaceful protest in front of the governor’s office, last Tuesday, urged him to save their souls.
‘My husband died of heart attack’
During the protest, a woman also narrated how her husband died of a heart attack following the demolition of their three-bedroom apartment in the community.
Speaking to our correspondent, one of the victims, who craved anonymity, explained that her family’s three-bedroom building was demolished.
She disclosed that the development made her husband die of a heart attack.
She claimed: “My husband died recently of a heart attack due to shock from the demolition. And now, I and my children have fled the community over the safety of our lives.”
On his part, Oloye Ayuba, said the land grabbers, numbering over 500, came to the community with some policemen and officials of the Lagos State government in the early hours of November 11, 2022, intending to demolish their houses and claim part of their land.
Ayuba alleged that a member of the Oshuku Iyanbu Family from the neighbouring community of Araromi-Ale sold the land to an engineering company.
He described this as trespassing owing to the claim that they have legal documents to prove their rightful ownership.
… Baale
The Baale argued that he, alongside five of his cabinet members, was unjustly arrested, detained and tried in court but was later released on bail.
He said: “Over 500 of them stormed our community with heavy equipment and said that the land belonged to them.
“They said that they were going to demolish our houses and reclaim our land. Since they started, they have demolished over 150 houses.
“We have reported the matter to several authorities with the necessary documents but there has been no positive response.
“We even filed for an urgent court injunction to stop the ongoing demolition, but this also did not yield any results. As I speak to you now, they are still destroying houses
“We are calling on the Governor of Lagos State and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to come to our aid. Our people are losing their homes and some are dead as a result of this.”
The community leader lamented that since the invasion day; demolition has been ongoing, rendering many indigenes homeless, injured and some others dead from the agony of experiencing the ugly act.
He added that some were not allowed to salvage their properties as the hoodlums forcefully sold them off.
He said that the community had reported the case to the Police Area Command, and written several petitions to the office of Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Office of Urban and Physical Planning, and other relevant agencies with documents proving their rightful ownership of the land in question but all to no avail.
The people collectively demanded the immediate intervention of the Lagos State Governor appealing for him to come to their aid.
Assembly promises to wade in
Addressing the protesters, the Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC, Mr Victor Akande, assured the community members of the intervention of the state government.
Akande, however, said that the case would follow due process and all relevant stakeholders would be consulted for an investigation to be carried out to reach a peaceful resolution.
“There is always a procedure, we cannot jump the procedure. They have submitted their petition, Mr Speaker has to look at the petition and send it to the appropriate quarters.
“A committee would be set up to investigate the matter, ascertain that their claims are true, and assess the level of damage. The leaders of the community would be contacted as well as all necessary stakeholders to deliberate on the issue.”
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