Magboro/Ibafo residents protest threats by land grabbers to forcefully acquire 500 properties

Scores of Magboro/Ibafo landlords and residents on Tuesday protested at the Ogun Government House and House of Assembly over threats by land grabbers to claim about 500 properties in the two communities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protesters had converged as early as 9 a.m at the Government House to register their displeasure over what they described as phoney court judgment obtained by the land grabbers.

The protesters carried various placards with inscriptions such as “Government, please save us’’, “Enough of Omo Onile Palaver”, “End Land Grabbing Now’’ to call government’s attention to their plight.

Mr David Ajayi, the General Secretary, Magboro/Arepo Community Development Council (CDC), said the protest had become necessary to draw government’s attention to the looming breakdown of law and order.

“It is important that we stage this protest to call on the government to help stem the menace of these “Ajagungbales’’. After selling their properties for many years, they just come to reacquire the same lands.

“They claim to have obtained a court order to this effect which we did not know about because at no point in time did we have any court injunction from them.

“The war against the land grabbing should involve everybody because the stock in trade of these people is violence; they know how to cause trouble.

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“We don’t want to be caught napping in their war because they can be deadly, we don’t want bloodshed in our community as we have always been peaceful,’’ Ajayi said.

He said that the land-grabbing threat against the communities was led by two High Chiefs: Baale Nurudeen of Ajegunle and Somolu Okusehinde of Ibasha community.

The spokesperson of the group and Zonal CDC Chairman, Mr Jimi Olusanya, urged the government to as a matter of urgency look into the plight of the affected communities.

“We want the state government to help us address this problem, we don’t want fights in our communities,’’ Olusanya said.

Another resident, Mr Jaye Babatope, said that all hands must be on deck to fight against land grabbers taking over their properties, adding that the last administration in the state had passed the Land Grabbing Law.

Babatope said that the protest was a good one, adding that they would not sit idle to watch their properties forcefully taken over.

“The protest is a good one; nobody will open his eyes for his property to be hijacked by land grabbers. In fact, we need to say no to Omo Onile in Ogun State,’’ he said.

NAN reports that the protesters were received by Mr Soneye Damilola, representing Obafemi-Owode Constituency, who took them to the Speaker of the House, Mr Waheed Abodunrin.

The Speaker, Ogun House of Assembly, Abodunrin promised that the government would look into the plight of the affected communities.