Land Crisis: Residents Send SOS To Lagos Govt

Residents of Ilamoshe Community Development Association, CDA, have sent a Save Our Soul, SOS, message to the Lagos State Government over a land crisis in the area.

The community wants the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, to intervene in the land crisis involving the community and the Ojo Barber family.

They alleged that their chairman, Val Iwuchukwu, was abducted last week by some thugs and appealed to government to direct the Commissioner of Police to send his men to safeguard the community from further harassment.

A statement signed by Barrister Sunday Chibudo, solicitor to the community, alleged that Iwuchukwu was kidnapped by land speculators last Thursday along Gbajumo Street in Oke-Afa at 6:45 pm, but was rescued by about 30 women who defied guns, cutlasses and clubs wielded by the assailants.

He said the six abductors beat up the CDA boss before marching him to a standby vehicle in which they came to the community.

According to him, Iwuchukwu was, however, rescued by women who seeing what was happening immediately organised themselves and blocked all the estate’s exit routes before putting a save-our-soul call to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ejigbo LCDA who sent a police team that eventually rescued Iwuchukwu.

“It was while the kidnappers were dragging Iwuchukwu to a vehicle parked several metres away from his house that his wife (Ifeoma) was attracted by her husband’s shout and rushed to the scene.

“Her presence attracted the sympathy of over 30 women in the neighbourhood that formed human shield around the victim, thereby making it difficult for the kidnappers to execute their plot,” he said in the statement.

The statement said one of the suspects arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping was released on bail by the police the same day. He urged the state government to probe the kidnapping saga which had thrown the community into fear.

He asked the state government to direct the Director of Public Prosecution to prosecute the suspects so as to bringing them to justice. He also asked the police to investigate the land crisis and take necessary action against anyone found guilty.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga