By Robert Egbe
The Lagos State Special Taskforce on land grabbing has arraigned 10 persons at a Special Offences Court sitting in Oshodi for alleged forcible takeover, trespass and grabbing of lands at Owode Ibeshe in Ikorodu.
The defendants – all men -Amisi Friday, Holy Osaweme, Wale Adigun, Muhammad Amodu, Christopher James, Tope Ojo, Usman Abubakar, Jubril Isa, Yusuf Babamariam and Sherifu Ibrahim are standing trial on a four-count charge.
They were alleged to have encroached on acres of land owned by a firm, Nichemtex Ltd, between 2019 and 2021.
The court heard they “were found to have resorted to self-help in recovering possession of land belonging to Nichemtex Ltd and engaged in acts inconsistent with the proprietary rights, contrary to section (2) of Lagos State Properties Protection Law, 2016.”
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They “were found to have resorted to the threat of violence in the recovery of possession of landed property belonging to Nichemtex Ltd contrary to section 3(1) of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law, 2016.
They “forcefully entered into the landed property and maliciously destroyed gate, wall fence and structures belonging to Nichemtex LTD contrary to section 350 of Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”
Each defendant pleaded not guilty and applied for bail.
Prosecution counsel Mrs Ruqayat Shomade did not oppose the application but prayed the court to impose conditions that would make each defendant available for trial.
In a bench ruling, Chief Magistrate Oluwatosin Fagbohun admitted each defendant to bail to in the sum of N100,000, with two sureties in the like sum.
A statement by the Director, Public Affairs Ministry of Justice, Mr Kayode Oyekanmi said the arraignment was held last Friday.
Oyekanmi quoted the Taskforce Coordinator, Mr Owolabi Arole, as saying that the defendants were arrested following an investigation of the firm’s May 5 petition.
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