Displaced residents of Lagoon View Estate seek Sanwo-Olu’s intervention 

Residents of Lagoon View Estate in Ibeshe, a suburb of Ikorodu, on Monday urged the Lagos State Governor-Elect, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu to use his good office upon assumption on May 29, 2019 to reverse the forceful demolition and take-over of their properties by some officials of the state Government working with a notorious land grabbing syndicate.

The residents, before being displaced on August 16, 2017, were occupying different houses on Operiele Street within the estate.

In a statement signed by Mr. Victor Armstrong, Mrs. Adejoke Adesanya and Mr. Wilson Ukereghe, the residents said the call to the governor-elect became imperative in view of the fact that nothing had been done in respect of their plight since 2017 by the state government despite several notices.

They specifically accused the former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Wasiu Anifowoshe of conspiring with a notorious land grabbing syndicate headed by a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Fouad Alade Oki and one Alhaji Mustapha Adams, to forcefully displace them.

Giving details, the residents said: “On the fateful day around 10am, whilst most of us were away at work, 36 fully armed policemen together with several thugs and some officials from the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development moved in on Lagoon View Estate Ibeshe, Ikorodu without any prior notice in vehicles clearly branded ‘Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development’, with three excavators and began demolition of our buildings.  A total of 17 buildings were demolished, including the ones occupied by an 87-year-old woman, a 15 day old baby and the nursing mother respectively.

“As a people, we feel that the motive behind this inhumane and barbaric act was to devastate, disorient and disorganize the residents and occupants of the land by invading and demolishing their properties using the element of surprise, so that whilst homeless, confused and struggling to recover from the shock, they would quickly take possession of the land.

“Having lost all we worked for in our entire lives in just two hours of terror, most of our children were forced out of school, some of the residents were admitted in hospital and some have developed life threatening illnesses, while all our cries for justice to the current administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode fell on deaf ears.”

The residents added that nothing had so far been heard on several other petitions addressed to the State Government, the House of Assembly and the Police, thus necessitating the call for intervention of the governor-elect.

“We, therefore, call on the Man of the People, our Governor-Elect; Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come to our aid immediately he assumes office, and call the affected ministry to order, and use his good offices to redress the wrong done to us by reinstating us to our land and grant us full compensation for our structures that were wrongfully demolished by some unscrupulous individuals who chose to use apparatus of the state,” the residents said.