Metro

Ibadan residents storm Oyo Secretariat over land tussle

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2 years ago

Residents of Alaja Phase One, Alaja Phase Two, Isagunna and Aponmode areas of Ibadan, on Thursday, stormed the Oyo State Secretariat, in protest over the sealing of their houses by the Mogaji, Akinsola family of Ibadan, Chief Wale Oladoja.

The residents had been sent into panic when on Wednesday, Oladoja had effected the sealing of several houses claiming rightful ownership of the land on which the houses were built.

Bearing placards to say no to what they termed illegal land reclamation and forceful eviction by Lowori Akinsola, the protesters asked the House of Assembly and State Government to come to their rescue.

Addressing journalists on the situation, one of the community leaders, Mr Rauf Adeogun said that not long after buying the land, decades of years ago, they began to hear that one family claimed that he was the rightful owner of the land, not another that they paid.

They said efforts to resolve the matter continued to prove abortive with Oladoja maintaining that he was the real owner of the land.

“We had been to the Olubadan to seek resolution of the matter and Olubadan had warned the land grabbers not to forcefully take the land from the owner,” Adeogun said.

Reacting to the claims, Oladoja said the family was acting on a court judgement it got in 2021 affirming Akinsola a the real owner of the land and should take back their land.

Oladoja said before Wednesday’s sealing, he had held a series of peaceful meetings with the residents of the four communities.

Oladoja called on the residents of the communities for dialogue and negotiations in order to resolve the crisis.

Oladoja said: “My family acted according to the law of the land because we have had four to five judgements in respect to the land they are talking about.

“We had held a peaceful meeting with the residents of the community several times, even our respected Imperial Majesty Olubadan scheduled a meeting for the resolution of the same matter.

“The valid judgement stated that the land was sold wrongly to the residents of the communities.

“The protesters should follow the path of peace, my doors are open for dialogue between my family and their representatives to resolve the issue.

In reaction to the land crisis in Akinyele local government, the lawmaker representing Akinyele state constituency 1, Honourable Lekan Abiola promised to invite the man alleged to be disturbing the peace of the dwellers of the affected communities to hear from his own side of the story.

He said if the man was found guilty of the crime of land grabbing, he will face the full wrath of the law.

Abiola said, “When I heard the story of the land grabbing in my constituency, I was angry because, in this century we should not be talking about land grabbing. There is a Land grabbing act already in the state and it is a punishable offense.

“Ignorance is not a defence and he is going to face the full wrath of the law if found guilty.”

Similarly, Honourable Kehinde Olatunde representing Akinyele 2 constituency promised that the matter will be looked into with a view to having amicable resolution and peaceful coexistence in Akinyele local government.

It was gathered that both parties have been summoned to a meeting by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Olalekan Balogun on Sunday.

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