The protesters, mainly youths and aged, came to Alausa, Ikeja, at about 12 noon, displaying placards with various inscriptions, such as “Nigeria is not a jungle, Ambode give us justice,” “Governor Ambode Save us from Land-grabbers,” among others, claiming that officials of the state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development stormed their residents on August 16th, 2017 with bulldozers without prior notice and demolished 16 buildings belonging to residents.
Spokesperson of the protesters, Mr Victor Hamstrong, who presented a protest letter to representatives of Governor Ambode, demanded for immediate intervention and investigation to determine those responsible.
He also charged the state government to right the wrong and forestall future occurrence.
“The task force demolished buildings both occupied and unoccupied on over two hectares of land, worth N1 billion.
“We are here to seek the intervention of Governor Ambode and the lawmakers to get justice and redress the unlawful and unjust demolition of our homes by agents who claimed to be officials from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban development.
“We have been rendered homeless with our children left on the streets. We are using this opportunity to appeal to the state Governor to come to our aid to save us from dying on the streets and reclaim our homes,” Hamstrong said.
The solicitor to the protesters, Barrister Akin Duyilemi, insisted that the land of the estate belonging to his clients was not subject to litigation or liable to judgment execution, declaring that clients are property owners with some completed and inhabited while others were at various levels of development works.
“Our clients are property owners (with some completed and inhabited while others are at various levels of development works) at the above estate and various levels of compliance with the relevant state laws, while a few have obtained Certificates of Occupancy with building approvals,” he said.
One of the residents, a nursing mother of three weeks old baby, Mrs Olaiya Deola, recalled that armed policemen came on that fateful day and “threatened to shoot us if we make any resistance.”
“We thought, it was a joke until they leveled our buildings to rubble. We thought, it was a joke until they leveled our buildings to rubble.
“As you can see, I am nursing a three weeks old baby, they did not pity the baby, they just threw us out on the street. We are using this opportunity to appeal to Ambode to have mercy on us and come to our aid,” she said.
Also, an 87 year-old frail looking woman, Mrs Sekinat Gabriel, lamented the cold weather she and others had been battling with following the demolition, even as she pleaded with Governor Ambode to save them from untimely death.
“We are dying in this cold weather. It is unfair for government of change that we voted for to treat us this manner, it’s just unfair. We beg Ambode to save us from untimely death,” she said.
Speaking on-behalf of the state government, Mrs Omotayo Alli-Balogun, Director, Legal Department, Office of Civic Engagement, commended the peaceful manner of the protest and promised to convey their petition to the governor for appropriate action.
She, however, assured that “appropriate justice will be done” to the matter.
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