13 Arrested Over Land

Officials of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit stormed New Oko-Oba area of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, on Monday and arrested 13 people suspected to be land grabbers.

The taskforce acted on the order of Governor Babatunde Fashola who received a petition from residents of New Oko-Oba over alleged case of illegal demolition of properties in their community.

Fashola ordered the taskforce to act appropriately and it stormed the area on Monday and arrested some suspects but the main target, one Mr. Taiwo Ologunde was said not to be around, while 13 others suspected to be working for him were picked up and would be arraigned in court today for malicious damage to properties.

Residents of the area, under the aegis of New Oko-Oba Community Development Association had petitioned Fashola in which it alleged land grabbers were demolishing properties in the community and wanted the governor to act promptly.

According to the petition signed by the Chairman of the CDA, Mr. S.O. Ajilola and its Secretary, Mr. S.A. Olatunde, on 15 June, 2012, some influential personalities led 30 fully armed policemen and about 50 thugs to Olayiwo Street, New Oko-Oba.

“They immediately embarked on destruction of shops and houses, while other houses were marked for demolition. They were dangling a purported High Court judgment in suit No. ID1313/98 said to be in their favour.

“The most pathetic one was the complete demolition of the late Mrs Oluunmilayo Monsor’s two houses at number 47 of Olayiwola Street” and they levelled the tomb in which she was buried.

They alleged that the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered in April 2003 (Part II) published by Lowbreed Limited Law Review, vested ownership of land at New Oko-Oba, Iju and its environs as that of Fred Williams family, saying that they bought their properties from the Fred Williams family.The community, in the petition therefore demanded from the governor an urgent intervention and call the alleged land grabbers to order and that they should be restrained from committing more atrocities in the area.

They also wanted an investigation into the activities of the said 30 fully armed policemen from Area ‘G’ who gave the cover for the demolition, adding that “we have been living in this community in the last 30 years and we all have our deeds of conveyance dated back to 1977.”

Acting on the petition, the taskforce stormed the area and effected the arrest of suspected culprits while residents in the area rejoiced over the arrest.

One of the victims, a septuagenarian, who spoke under anonymity for fear of harassment, recounted her experience. According to her, she had been living peacefully in the area for over 30 years when suddenly some influential people with their thugs came in the middle of the night and erected a fence dividing her property into two.

Chairman of the Taskforce, Mr. Bayo Sulaiman assured the residents that all would be done to ensure that sanity was restored to the area, while advising the residents to go about their normal activities and not take laws into their hands.

He said that the taskforce is on the trail of Ologunde, suspected to be the brain behind the incident but that he had not been seen.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga