16th May, 2012
The Egunaye Family and its accredited representatives including Chief Tajudeen Muili of 3, Alhaji Muili Street, Oregun, Lagos, have petitioned the Lagos State Commission of Police and Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), over the activities of a self-acclaimed agent of Lagos State Government, for alleged forceful acquisition of other people’s legitimate land and selling such to highly placed members of the society.
In the petition dated 15 February, 2012 and written on behalf of the family by the solicitor, Edwards Group Chambers, it was alleged that the man, who operates from a container erected between the ministries of Lands and the Environment at Alausa, Ikeja, is not a bona fide staff of Lagos State Government, but allegedly goes about erecting government signboards on lands in choice areas of the state and using officials of Lands Registry to re-allocate such to highly placed government officials and members of the public.
According to the petition, “our family is the owner of the land at Adekunle Banjo Street, Shangisha and it is part of the land for which the Supreme Court gave us judgment in 1952, while the state government also released it to our family vide its gazette of 31 March, 1977.”
“The land was caused to be surveyed after obtaining approval of Surveyor General in 2011,” the family further stated in the petition, adding that shortly after, the man allegedly went there with thugs to destroy the fence and erected government signboard on the land, while a recent investigation has revealed that it has been assigned and sold by government to a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The family, therefore, appealed to the state police boss, the governor and other stakeholders in the state to investigate the activities of the man and his sponsors, noting that his dealings, if unchecked, are capable of tarnishing the good image of government.