Kunle Adelabu
-Council chairman, palace appeal to aggrieved residents
Victims of the house demolition at the Oke – Ira area of Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Ikorodu Division, Lagos State, Southwest, Nigerian, on Thursday, June 2, 2022, protested to the Adeboruwa palace and the Council Secretariat in Igbogbo, to seek redress for the houses demolished on Tuesday.
It was alleged that over 500 houses were demolished on the order of the governor, with the aid of armed soldiers, mobile police and thugs, allegedly led by a known thug and cultist at Ketu, Germany Kuti.
Officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, led by one Engr. Omotosho, were said to have brought armed men and thugs for the operation .
After protesting to the Adeboruwa palace in Igbogbo where they were attended to by the palace chiefs led by the Oluwo of Igbogbo, protesters, who were carrying placards with inscriptions like, ‘Sanwo – Olu, This Is Unjust’, ‘Sanwo – Olu Made Use of Secret Boys To Demolished People’s Homes’, ‘We Want Justice: Residents of Oke – Ira’. ‘Over 500 Homeless Sanwo – Olu’, ‘Sanwo – Olu Renders Oke – Ira People In Igbogbo Homeless’, and ‘No Court Order Before Demolition of Houses’ among others, marched through the palace street, Awolowo Way and stopped at Igbogbo/Bayeku Secretariat where protesters were locked outside the council premises by the gatemen.
But few minutes after chanting protest songs, the Council Chairman, Builder Sesan Daini, his Vice, Hon. Maja, Secretary to the Council, Barr. Ade Ayeni, and other members of his cabinet, including Mr Ade Bolowotan, Hon. Wasiu Olowu and the Council management team, came out to listen to and address the victims of the demolition.
It was also alleged that two residents have so far died since Tuesday, while many were hospitalized after their house were demolished.
Affected residents said that, there was no notice or information to any effect that their houses would be demolished.
THE IMPACT gathered that the controversial land was sold to the Nichemtex Cooperatives by the Onire Ajibode of Bayeku whose claim to the land has been nullified by the Igbogbo Kingdom. The matter is now at the Supreme Court.
The land in question, Oke – Ira, is part of the land that both High Court and Appeal judgments in 2009 and 2018 respectively, had ceded to Igbogbo in Suit No: IKD/74/2002 and Suit No: CA/L/38/2010. The matter which is between the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo and Baale of Bayeku, has been on since 1920 with judgments.
Following the judgments, the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo in 2018, issued a Power of Attorney to Chief Jamiu Adewusi, Hon. Omotayo Oduala and Chief Taiwo Ogunbiyi, Head and Principal members respectively of Ainatayo Ogunbiyi & Adewusi Descendant Family.
According to the document, a copy which is given to THE IMPACT, the Power of Attorney is covering property lying, situated and being at Oke – Ira land in Oke –Ira via Bayeku in Igbogbo, Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Mr Jalarin Tajudeen, one of the leaders of the protest whose two houses were demolished, while addressing chieftains of the Adeboruwa in Council, said that such destruction should not have happened in a town with traditional rulers and chiefs.
He alleged that over 500 houses were demolished.
“We are the people of Oke Ira, under the Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, whose houses were demolished. We are here to protest the unjust destruction of our houses. What happened to us shouldn’t have happened in a community with traditional rulers and chiefs”, he said.
“Over 500 homes have been demolished worth billions of naira. We have lost some of our people due to this. We have been living in our homes for many years and now, we have nowhere to go. We will be sleeping at the palace.
“We want justice. Sanwo – Olu has done it all. We believe in the government of Lagos State but now, we don’t believe in it anymore. They have rendered our wives, children and families homeless. That place that used to be a peaceful place is now a land of terror.
“You need to visit the place to see how many houses have been demolished. Now, poverty increased in Nigeria. We tried to provide shelters for ourselves and families but they have demolished them now. We don’t have mortgage at the federal and state levels.
“We pay taxes to the government, yet, there is no good road. Despite that, we struggle to build houses but the houses have gone, where do we start from?”, he asked rhetorically.
The protester said that the Ikorodu people are also same with people in Magodo where the Governor intervened some months and resolved the matter without any demolition.
Another victim of the demolition, Mr Akinkunmi Olapade John who is an aluminum fabricator, said that:
“We want the King and the chiefs to visit Oke Ira to see the level of demolition there for themselves. I have been living at the place with my parents and family for five years. Now, they are homeless and there is nowhere to go”, he said.
“I slept in a car till this morning because I have no home again. We did not know about any issue on the land and there is no court order. There was no notice, they just came into our community with soldiers, mobile police and touts and started destroying our properties.
“They came and started demolishing our houses. Many of us couldn’t take anything out of our houses. This cloth I am wearing was given to me by a friend because I have nothing again.
“We are pleading and begging Adeboruwa to, please, look into this matter and not just fold your hands and act as if nothing has happened.
“The level of poverty in Lagos State and Nigeria has just be increased. Some of us are in the hospital now and we just recorded two deaths between yesterday and today. If by tomorrow we do not see Adeboruwa visiting the scene, our community will return here.
The leader of the protest, Mr Shakiru Seidu, described the act as gross misconduct on the part of the government for failing to follow due process before allegedly give order to demolish houses.
He alleged that the state government engaged cultists in the demolition exercise at Oke – Ira.
“What happened there (Oke Ira) was a gross misconduct on the part of the government. No sensible government would have taken such a decision at this critical time.
“There was no court order or any communication whatsoever and apart from coming into our land with police and soldiers, they also came with hoodlums and cultists. I do not understand why the Lagos State Government is condoning cultism?
“They came with a known cultist, Tunde Germany from Ketu and they were there in large number with guns. It was Tunde Germany that Gov. Sanwo-Olu used alongside officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning to demolish our houses without court order. We have all the evidences”, he further alleged.
Mr Seidu also explained that the land in question belong to Igbogbo, adding that there are High Court and Appeal Court judgments which authenticate that Igbogbo has won a court case over the land against Onire Ajibode of Bayeku which sold the land to Nichemtex Cooperative.
He alleged that the state government used thugs and other security forces in dislodging and demolishing houses at Oke – Ira, a situation he described as an insult to the Adeboruwa.
“It was the Oba of Igbogbo that gave us the permission to be on our land. The land is our father’s land because we are from Igbogbo”, he said.
“The Onire Ajibode family that sold the land to the Nichemtex Cooperatives has been defeated in courts by Igbogbo. There are High and Appeal Courts judgments in favour of Igbogbo over the land. Onire Ajibode of Bayeku and Nichemtex Cooperative don’t have a single land there because courts have made pronouncement regarding the ownership of the land.
“So, I don’t know why Gov. Sanwo – Olu would do such thing by using thugs to demolish our houses. My house is a duplex which I have spent over N40million to celebrate my 50th birthday.
“What Sanwo-Olu did was a slap on the Adeboruwa stool because the royal father is a party in the matter”, he said.
Addressing the protesters, Chief Yahya Agoro, the Oluwo of Igbogbo, appealed to the protesting residents to be calm until Kabiyesi is back.
He pledged to relay their message to the royal father while assuring them that the palace will act on it.
At the Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA Secretariat where the protesters also visited to complain about the demolition, the Council Chairman, Builder Sesan Daini, assured victims of the demolition that he would present their petitions to the Governor.
Daini also denied that the governor employed services of cultists to demolish houses in Igbogbo.
“As at now, I will not be able to give any answer to your demands but plead with you to be calm and be civil. And as you have said that you want justice, justice will surely prevailed. Just take it calm. Just take it that all the content of your letter will be taking to the appropriate quarters and will be handled appropriately”, Builder Daini assured.
“I am here on your mandate; the way that you voted for me, you also voted for Babajide Sanwo-Ola and I know that he would not willfully do anything to rubbish us. Whosoever that is behind this would be uncovered.
“I know that he is a man with good intention and for this to have happened, I will contact and engage Mr Governor and I am sure he would unveil anything behind this.
“I want to once again plead with you that you should be civil, calm and await my official response on this soon”, Daini assured.
“I don’t know him (Sanwo – Olu) as somebody who will personally or officially promote or encourage cult activities. He is somebody who is so strict about anti – issue and whosoever that was there in disguise of any name that was called, I can say categorically that they are not there on the directive, instruction or knowledge of the governor of Lagos State.
He charged protesters to submit their petition detailing victims and houses demolished to his to his office for proper follow – up with the governor.
