Land Grabbing: Amuwo-Odofin Community Seek IGP, LASG Intervention
Residents of Itun-agan village in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government, Lagos State, have appealed to the State government and police authority, to save them from land grabbers, who have been invading their community with the assistance of men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), for the purpose of taking over the land forcefully.
Some of the residents of the community alleged that the alleged land grabbers who are using one Abiye Akinmuleya, popularly called Ajase, with the assistance of SARS and policemen from Alado police station, to threaten, harass and intimidate them on daily basis.
The recent attack on the community, according to the residents occurred on Sunday, leading to the arrest of 82 years old, Chief Lot Ikuesan, the community head (Baale), alongside some prominent members of the community who are still detained at the Ikeja SARS office.
Speaking on the attack, a member of the community, Mr. Alaba Asemudara said: “we have in this community for long time now, the present Baale, Chief Lot Ikuesan is an 82 year-old man, he was born in this community in 1936, before he became Baale, his three brothers had been Baale. His father, Olowolagba Ikuesan, was the first Baale of the community, while his grandfather, Olowolagba was the one that founded the community.
“This community shared border with Snake Island, Tin Can Island, Itamaro village, and Ifako village. We had resisted attempt by the first Onisiwo to take over the community in 2005, because we dragged him to court and he failed to appear and we subsequently abandoned the case. To our surprise, some people whom we do not know where they come from is now laying claim to our land and using SARS and other police to threatened us and wanted to take over our community forcefully”.
“We are appealing to the Inspector-General of Police to save us from the officers of SARS who are being used to threatening and arrest us”.
Another victim of the alleged invasion, Olusegun Esanmore said: “we have written series petitions on the activities of the said land grabbers to the police, starting from Ilado Police Station, to Area L Command in Alakija, and Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, but no action was taking. What we see all the time is that those that we petitioned against were being supported by the police to unleash terror on the life of our Baale and the entire community.
“We have been to court and order was made against them. Still the land grabbers who are using Ajase in connection with SARS, are still attacking us and unleashing terror on us.
“In that order, Magistrate Nurudeen Layeni, Court 7, of Apapa Chief Magistrate Court, sometimes in June this year restrained all the respondents from coming or laying claim into our community until they appear before him. These people never appear before the magistrate. And they continued terrorizing us and using police to unleash terror on us.
“Since Sunday, our Baale, Chief Lot Ikuesan, a 17 year-old boy, Adebowale Abudu, who is on holiday, and some prominent members of our community have been detained by SARS at Ikeja, and when we seek their release, we are told to bring N50, 000 for each person.
“We called on the State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, and the police authority to come to our rescue”.
The community’s lawyer, Mr. Ige Asemudara, also expressed regret that despite an order of the court, which ordered all parties to maintain peace, the land grabbers are still creating impression that members of the community are the one creating problem.
