Sympathisers who heard the ordeal of Toke Odusile and Rokibat Oyetunji could not help burst into tears, asking why the authorities had left the community at the mercy of land grabbers, notoriously called Omo Oniles.
Five-year-old Toke and her neighbour, Rokibat, 3, were both living peacefully with their parents in a sleepy community called Ipetoro/Lowa in the Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State until December 3, this year when they were faced with forcible eviction from their home.
Both Rokibat and Toke’s were sent on an errand when suddenly they started hearing gun shots in their community, followed by unusual sounds and they were left with no other choice than to scamper for safety.
Toko turned back; unfortunately for her, she headed towards a wrong direction where she ran into a group of hoodlums preparing bonfire and this heightened her fears.
Miraculously, both children escaped the attack but ran into the fire and were partially burnt; they were hospitalised for months.
Toke and Rokibat were not the only ones who have witnessed the menace of suspected land grabbers at such a tender age. Four-year-old Aliat Sobajo also encountered this dastardly act. She was unlucky as she was killed by her assailants in the presence of her parents.
Biodun Ore, 45, was not left out as he became a victim of forcible eviction when his wife needed him most. The expectant woman was in labour and preparing for hospital when the hoodlums struck.
The husband escaped through the window with his wife but did not get to the hospital before both ran into the enemies. The woman was kidnapped but Biodun escaped.
She was later released and delivered near a neighbouring community where she now resides. Strangely, her husband saw the baby for the first time on August 10.
Those were some of the gory scenes in the Ipetoro/Lowa town that has produced dignitaries such as former Ayangburen of Ikorodu land, Oba Samusideen Oyefusi; Oba of Ikorodu Kabiru Shotobi and a Professor of Geological Sciences with the Federal University of Technology Kure (FUTA), among others.
According to history, this community owned by Ipetoro/Lowa family was of three branches namely the Isanmolus, Orelades and Oluwatos and all had enjoyed peaceful co- existence until Wednesday, December 3, this year when suddenly there was invasion of suspected land grabbers and people began to run helter skelter.
At the end of the day, many of them, including children and women, were forced to relocate to “nowhere” for the past eight months.
Many, it was gathered, had died while others have resigned to fate. A good example is their traditional head that is currently undergoing treatment due to the shock of the incident; having understood that his subjects and residents were scattered all over based on circumstances beyond their control.
On penultimate Monday, several months after, some of the displaced residents returned to the community only to discover that most of their properties had been encroached upon and vandalised by the assailants.
Same day, some of the victims protested the activities of the land grabbers on their father’s land, urging both the Ogun State and the Federal Governments to bail them out.
The protesters included men, women and children and all were with placards on which several inscriptions were written. They sang solidarity songs and their case is akin to those of victims of Boko Haram who became strangers in their own land.
Also penultimate Monday, Biodun Ore, was able to reunite with his baby who was christened in his absence.
The residents claimed the suspected land grabbers were led by a member of the zone’s O’odua Peoples’ Congress Dauda Olawale popularly called ‘’Authority’’ and since that day, the land had been under turmoil but Olawale dismissed the allegation, saying he had no portion in Ipetoro/Lowa land:
‘’Ipetoro/Lowa is in Gagamu while I hail from Oshun State. How come I am taking possession of another person’s land when I am not in the position to do so? ‘’ he queried.
Spokesperson for Ipetoro/Lowa family, Jamiu Bamgbelu, said he gathered the assailants had been sending threat messages to the displaced victims during their eight months’ in exile.
According to him, some unknown faces stormed the community on that fateful Wednesday with dangerous weapons and forced residents out of their land.
‘’Our case is peculiar in the sense that there were no internal crises because many of us are learned. Only God knows where the land grabbers came from. The most painful aspect of this incident is that our children have not attended school for the past eight months while the artisans among us have their jobs put on hold and the family has taken to begging as a way of survival simply because of lawlessness in Nigeria,” he said.
He claimed that all efforts made to register their plight with the police in both Lagos and Ogun states failed as the leader of the suspected land grabbers have allegedly bought them over.
On Tuesday last week, the assailants reportedly stormed the town again, killing three and injuring six others.
Jamiu appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase and Governor Ibikunle Amosun to come to their aid.
“How long can we continue like this? Our Baale has lost his health and is unwilling to come home as a result of the activities of the land grabbers. We appeal to our governor Ibikunle Amosun and IGP to help us. Both can do their findings about us and hold us responsible in case we are culpable. All we want is peace for the sake of our children,” he pleaded.
The Vice-Chairman of the Ipetoro Community Development Association (CDA), Mr Fred Okorowo said the place had been peaceful until the crisis of December 3, last year and since then; things had not been the same.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Olujobi, denied knowledge of Tuesday incident, but added that the force was not unaware of the lingering crisis. He assured that the police were doing everything possible to end it soon.
A resident of Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State Mrs Blessing Andrew from Kogi State has recounted how a quick medical intervention saved her and her unborn baby.
Mrs Andrew said about a year ago, Mrs Idowu Ajiboye, a Surveillance Supervisor with the primary health care centre took her off the street of Ilaro on a Thursday afternoon and took her to the state hospital, Ilaro.
Upon examination, it was discovered that she had started manifesting signs of onset of Eclampsia. She was monitored, treated and had safe delivery.
According to health experts, pre-eclampsia is pregnancy condition that presents itself during the second trimester – about 20 weeks of pregnancy, with symptoms of high blood pressure and protein in urine.
It is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths in Nigeria and since its cause remains largely unknown, it exact its toll more on pre-eclamptic women in rural settings because of the unpredictable nature of the condition as well as ignorance and delay in seeking prompt and appropriate medical care.
Blessing told Southwest Report that her problem began when her husband, a staff of the Dangote Cement Manufacturing Company in Ibese, Ogun State, lost his job about four months into her pregnancy.
She said her husband, being the major source of the family’s income, the daily bout of anxiety that seized her with regard to how the family could cope without means of livelihood, brought about the high blood pressure and then the hypertension.
According to her, she never knew she was already having a life-threatening health challenge until the community health workers discovered her and intervened by encouraging her to seek appropriate health care.
Mrs Andrew is one of the 11 women who benefited from the one year Pilot CLIP trial in Yewa South, Imeko-Afon, Remo North and Sagamu local govetnment areas and who also praised the project as it entered the definitive CLIP trial, which is its third phase.
CLIP is a clinical study in Ogun State that seeks to prevent neonatal and maternal deaths during pregnancy and it is being executed by the Centre for Research in Reproductive Health in collaboration with the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu and the state government support from the University of British Columbia, Canada.
The chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Olatunde Okewole, whose office also played a collaborative role in the project, said successful implementation of CLIP would go a long way towards reducing maternal and infant mortality.
Okewole also praised Governor Ibikunle Amosun for what he described as his “untiring efforts at uplifting the health care delivery service in the state,” saying the “enabling environment and other plausible logistics provided contributed to the progresses recorded.
He said: “CLIP is an international intervention project for Pre Eclampsia/Eclampsia which is being undertaken to test the hypothesis of implementing a community-based package of care for reducing pregnant women with hypertensive disorder.
“It is also targeted at reducing death of pregnant women and improving pregnancy outcome in Ogun State.
“In this connection, successful implementation of CLIP is therefore a strategy at achieving reduction of maternal and infant mortality as it formed part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) components to improve health care delivery.”
Since 2006 when 48-year-old Femi Emmanuel was diagnosed of diabetes and kidney disease, life has not been the same. The graduate of Quantity Surveying from the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke is currently grappling with such life-threatening ailment.
Narrating his ordeal to Southwest Report in his residence at Ore, headquarters of Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, where he is currently recuperating, Emmanuel recounted how the sickness began in 2006 when he was diagnosed of having diabetes before he was later informed that he had also developed symptoms of kidney disease.
Mr. Emmanuel, a father of two whose condition has completely deteriorated as a result of the ailment, has become a regular visitor to several hospitals, healing homes and religious centres, explained that apart from the initial financial commitments he made at the onset of the illness, he later became weak and unable to do his surveying job. Being cash strapped, he had to depend on people’s goodwill as members of his family, friends and public-spirited individuals; including the former Ondo State Commissioner for Adult, Technical and Vocational Education, Mrs. Margret Akinsuroju, who he said has made series of financial contributions on his poor health.
He further explained that in the quest for solution to his health challenge, he was directed to visit Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostic Centre in Ondo town, where he was diagnosed of kidney-related ailment.
He added that medical and diagnostic examinations were later carried out through what he referred to as Paediatric Echo Cardiograph and some drug prescriptions.
Emmanuel said the drugs which were very expensive could not give him permanent respite as the problem resurfaced again few months after leaving the hospital.
He added that upon his return to the hospital, he was referred to a specialised hospital in India for further medical attention.
His words: “After a short respite, precisely one month after leaving the hospital, I developed the same symptoms again, but this time, it became more severe. I quickly rushed back to the same hospital, where I was later referred to an India hospital for further medical attention.
“What I need now is assistance from public-spirited individuals for the treatment in India. I appeal to religious bodies, non-governmental organisations, politicians, government, private and corporate organisations to assist me, so that I will be able to come back alive.
“The treatment in India will cost $8, 000. This is too much for me and my family as we have exhausted all we had treating the ailment here. $ 8,000 is too much a burden for me to carry after exhausting all savings and donations received from public-spirited individuals.”
The father of two appeals to well-meaning Nigerians to assist him financially so as to save his life.
There was a medical report issued by the management of Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostic Centre and dated June 26, 2015 which authenticated his claim indicated that the patient was diagnosed of Down syndrome and kidney disease.
“To Whom It May Concern, Medical Report” Re: Femi Emmanuel Aged 48.
The Report reads in part: “Clinical assessment showed that Emmanuel has features consistent with Down Syndrome and Echo Cardiograph revealed Ventricular Septal defect which has resulted in repeated hospital admission.
“Femi Emmanuel requires further evaluation in a centre with facilities for cardiac surgery to correct the kidney abnormality and genetic studies to evaluate his chromosomal abnormality.
“This letter therefore serves as an introduction of the patient for assistance that will facilitate other evaluation abroad.”
Emmanuel, who is currently experiencing excruciating pain as he could neither walk nor sit without being aided by somebody, therefore, appeals for urgent financial assistance to enable him to undergo the surgery in India and subsequently regain his life again.
Anyone willing to assist this father of two can do so by paying such donation into the account opened in the name of Femi Emmanuel. Account Number 2087414938 Zenith Bank Ore town to facilitate his medical trip to India.
Two communities in Ekiti State-Aramoko and Erio-erupted in wild protests penultimate week as residents, led by their traditional rulers, took to the highway to protest a six-month power outage. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports.
Residents of Aramoko-Ekiti and Erio-Ekiti, both in Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State showed their fury penultimate week over a six-month blackout occasioned by their disconnection from power source by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC).
They took to the streets as early as 6:30 a.m., marching around and singing war songs against the electricity company for “throwing them into darkness longer than necessary”.
The major highway that traversed the two neighbouring communities, private motorists, commercial drivers, commuters and vehicles belonging to government and private organisations bore the brunt of the riot.
They were held up in traffic for nearly four hours as the irate indigenes of the towns prevented vehicular movement; causing a massive gridlock that spanned several kilometres.
Aramoko is a nodal town and a major junction when a traveller intends to reach Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, from cities such as Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Osogbo, Ife and Ilesa.
It is the headquarters of Ekiti West Local Government Area and one can connect other towns such as Ijero, Ipoti, Ikoro, Okemesi, Ido, Erijiyan and Ikogosi, where the famous warm spring is located.
Erio, on the other hand, is the immediate town before and after Aramoko, depending on which direction you are coming from and it is famous as the site of the Mountain of Mercy (Ori Oke Aanu) which draws millions of people for prayer programmes every year.
Like many other communities in Ekiti State, Aramoko and Erio have been having issues with the BEDC which led to attacks on officials of the company, violent protests and vandalism of company’s vehicles and power installations.
Communities which had altercations with the BEDC in the recent past included Ifaki, Oye, Emure, Ijan, Iyin, Ikere, and some parts of Ado.
That of Ifaki was dramatic as the youth of the town staged a violent protest which was halted by the intervention of Governor Ayo Fayose.
Out of the N6 million allegedly owed by Ifaki community, Fayose assisted it by paying N5 million after which he warned other communities to always ensure that their citizens pay their electricity bills as power generation and distribution had been privatised.
Ikere, believed to be the second largest town in the state, was thrown into darkness for over one month after the youth of the community attacked members of staff of BEDC whom they accused of bringing ‘crazy’ bills without providing electricity.
The town was subsequently disconnected by officials of the electricity company but the feud was resolved following the intervention of the state government, security agencies, community leaders and other interest groups.
At Aramoko, the protest was led by the Alara, Oba Adegoke Olu Adeyemi while that of Erio was led by the Regent, Princess Adejoke Aladetoyinbo Ojo.
The Deputy Governor, Kolapo Olusola, visited the two communities in the heat of the protest and appealed to the irate demonstrators to give peace a chance and allow government to mediate in the crisis.
Olusola, alongside the Alara and the Regent went to the spots where roads were barricaded and urged the protesters to allow free flow of traffic.
The protesters accused the BEDC of “illegal disconnection from the national grid” without their knowledge and also accused it of bringing bills on electricity they never used.
They wondered why the BEDC kept on distributing bills on electricity it did not supply and which the residents did not use. They accused the officials of being the agents of complicity in vandalism of transformers in the their communities.
One of the protesters, Mrs. Sarah Ojo said: “Despite lack of electricity in our town, we still pay N2, 000 monthly as electricity bills and later they would come to disconnect our light.
“There was a time we enjoyed the light only two days in a whole month and after then, no light again and they have turned this place to “kingdom of darkness”.
“We later discovered that the N2, 000 we paid to them was pocketed by their officials. We later discovered that it was the BEDC officials that disconnected our cables from the transformers.
“They are robbers who reap where they did not sow; we do not owe them anything. In fact, we don’t want to be connected with Ekiti again; we want to be connected with Osun.”
Another protester, Tope Olajide said: “We are tired of this hardship. Just imagine, we have no light, no water and we have government that watches while these things happen to us.
“If Fayose does not do anything as soon as possible, we are marching on to the Government House in Ado-Ekiti because we installed him with our votes and he must find solution to our problems.
“In fact, the protest won’t stop today; we are coming out again tomorrow and next tomorrow until they find solution to this problem because we cannot bear it any longer.
“We have about seven transformers in Aramoko alone and none of them has cables on it currently. We suspected that they were vandalised by BEDC engineers because somebody who is not an expert cannot go to the transformer to remove something from it.”
The Alara said his subjects have been suffering, saying the community is tired of paying for services not rendered by the electricity company. He said the officials of the company dumped bills in his palace when his subjects rejected them.
Oba Adeyemi said: “The BEDC has not done well by disconnecting us without our knowledge. This unjust treatment is part of the insults and injuries we are suffering in the hands of the BEDC.
“Our request is direct: Fayose’s administration did it before, he connected us to Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), and we were enjoying it. We want him to return us to IBEDC. In terms of payment, we are among the communities that pay our bills.
“The BEDC is cheating us. When they give us electricity for five minutes, they would have five hours in their record.
“We discovered that they haven’t got measuring rod in this area but they said they have a pool where they take the records from where they distribute the bills.
“How can we pay for services not rendered? That is one of the problems we have with them.
“We never had light at all for over five months now and we didn’t know when the entire community was disconnected. We are far to the source of power and we want you to intervene because we have been suffering.
“We have bought 10 cables and arrested robbers and vandals who are now in prison. We are tired of paying for services not rendered. Do they have the moral right to keep on distributing bills now?
“They have brought and dumped bills in my palace, armed robbers are on the prowl and this has caused businesses and other activities to be paralysed.”
While thanking the governor for promptly stepping into the problem, Erio Regent, Princess Ojo, said her subjects want power supply to the community removed from BEDC and joined with IBEDC.
She said: ”Erio, Aramoko and Ido were linked together but to our surprise, we discovered that they had solved the problem of Ido. We want to be removed from BEDC.”
According to the Deputy Governor, the state government and the affected communities would set up a committee consisting of various stakeholders to look into the problem.
A meeting was held later in the day at the Deputy Governor’s office to find a way to resolve the crisis. It comprised government officials, traditional rulers, community leaders and officials of BEDC.
But the Chief State Head of BEDC in charge of Ondo and Ekiti states, Ernest Edgar claimed that consumers in Aramoko and Erio owe the company over N132 million in electricity bills.
He revealed that the communities had incurred N74 million since BEDC took over.
Edgar said in a statement: “As a company at the end of the value chain of the power business; BEDC is expected to pay fully for the energy it receives from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and to remain in business, every community is expected to pay fully for every kilowatts of energy that’s consumed.
“We are constrained by the fact that what is given to BEDC as allocation from the National Grid for the four states of coverage is just nine per cent of total generation in the country which is grossly inadequate.
Regular succour would soon be coming the way of widows, orphans and other less-privileged members of the seedy and ancient community of Igbo Olori Ota, in Ado/Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.
A century-old church in the community-African Church, Nigeria, said it has concluded plans to have “special collections” in monetary form from its members on a regular basis in aid of the widows and other less-privileged persons not only in its fold but also for others in the missionary environment.
Beside the monetary assistance, the prospective beneficiaries would also receive gift items as well as entrepreneurial trainings in soap and cream-making, among others to enable some of them to be productive and have modicum sources of income of their own.
Igbo Olori Ota is home to the imposing St Michael Bethel Cathedral, the seat of the newly created Awori Central Diocese of the African Church (Nigeria). It is believed to have been built in 1904, and situates few metres away from the Palace of the Olota of Ota.
The Bishop of Awori Central Diocese, Rev. Ade Fagbayi, who was enthroned on Sunday as the Pioneer Bishop by the Primate of African Church in Nigeria, His Eminence, Emmanuel Josiah Udofia, unfolded this agenda at the Cathedral in commemoration of the maiden anniversary of the diocese.
Fagbayi, who noted that Christians should impact on the society positively, said early church grew steadily because of love and care shown to people in their missionary areas.
“Charity begins at home for the people in the household of God; but that does not mean we should close our eyes to the needy in the society and our neighbourhood.
“We still have to help others and give beyond the shores of the church, to reach the widows, young unemployed graduates and other less-privileged persons.
“The society and the church are symbolically related; to a reasonable extent, they are inseparable. Church members live within the society and members of the same society attend the church.
“So, it becomes imperative on us to demonstrate the virtues of love, charity, holiness and truthfulness which characterised the early church and enhanced their steady growth,” Fagbayi said.
The Bishop, however, rued the proliferation of churches in the society, saying it has only had “little impact on morals and good character” of Christians.
According to him, Nigerian Christians must guard against losing the saltiness in them as the “hope of a better society, to a large extent, rests on the church.”
An expert in Psychiatry, Mr. Oye Gureje has said that Nigerian politicians should be subjected to serious medical examination while aspiring for any political office in order to address the stagnant growth of the country.
He spoke while delivering the award winners’ lecture of the Nigerian National Merit Award entitled “Hubris, Humility and the Humongous Lessons of the Brain” at the University of Ibadan.
According to him, affordable and adequate health care is still largely unavailable for mental and behavioural disorders in the country, adding that “policy attention to mental health remains grossly inadequate as health policy makers at all levels ignore the fact that mental well-being, mental health, mental capital and freedom from mental disorder are essential components of health that are necessary ingredients for national development.”
Mr. Gureje, a Professor of Psychiatry, observed that the country does not have any institutionalised support mechanism for sustained health research. He said: “It is embarrassing that South Africa, for example; a country that our rebased economy has recently beaten to the second place in Africa, provides a fertile ground for cutting-edge health research supported by the government of the country through its medical research council and other institutions.”
Revealing that persons who have mental challenges and had received treatment and recovered from their illness may be fit for leadership position, he, however, said “unfortunately, poverty and the allure of ‘stomach infrastructure’ may not always allow people to make the right judgment.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has reiterated its commitment to arrest and prosecute any inter-state commercial drivers who do not state the actual number of passengers on board in the passengers’ manifest.
The Lagos and Ogun Zonal Commander, Nseobong Charles Akpabio stated this while briefing reporters on the ongoing “Operation Scorpion” at Ojota Lagos. One of the drivers of Chisco Transport Nigeria Limited, Mr ThankGod Opetu, was arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others over non-passengers’ list documentation.
Akpabio said Opetu’s prosecution follows his failure to record the actual number of passengers in his bus into the passengers’ manifest sheet. He noted that he recorded only 11 out of the 40 passengers on board.
The FRSC chief said the Corps mandated all inter-state transporters to always write their passengers’ identities in the manifest sheets to make it easy to locate their families in case of road crashes.
“Transporters have been mandated to ensure the identity, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers of passengers on board their buses are properly documented before leaving the park,” he said.
Akpabio said he (Opetu) having breached the order informed his arrest and prosecution, along with no fewer than 23 tanker/trailer drivers who were charged for reckless driving, fake driver’s licence, overloading, driving with worn-out tyres and unlatched containers.
Their arrests, he said, were in line with the ongoing operation scorpion exercise organised by the Corps over a month ago to checkmate impunity of the truck/tanker drivers which causes road crashes across the country.
Akpabio said the continuous exercise is focusing on drivers’ licence violation, overloading, unhooked containers, lane indiscipline and rickety vehicles.
He said the Corps, through the operation, has been able to apprehend no fewer than 823 vehicles with their drivers prosecuted while some have also been jailed. He said the Corps would no longer tolerate any undisciplined behaviour, especially driving with worn-out tyres and fake driver’s licences. Any driver caught would be prosecuted while his vehicle would be impounded.
Opetu, in his response said the additional passengers in the bus were rescued at a robbery point along Okene Road around 2:30 a.m.
Bulldozers came down heavily on three communities in Badagry, namely Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 2, tearing down buildings and destroying properties; allegedly on the orders of the police who claim ownership of the land. The people ran to the court to restrain them from continuing the demolition, which the court was said to have granted. Yet, the destruction continued. Seeing this as an affront, the communities protested to the Lagos State House of Assembly which set up a committee to look into the matter. The committee visited the communities and site of the demolished buildings for on-the-spot assessment. OZIEGBE OKOEKI reports
For residents of Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 2 in Badagry Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, life has not been the same since government allegedly rolled bulldozers into their communities to demolish their buildings in 2013.
According to the Baale of Mowo, Chief Peter Idowu Ajayi, the bulldozers came tearing down their houses without any form of notice; a situation that has turned house owners/landlords homeless.
The land belonging to the three communities has since been taken over by the police that have commenced construction of three and two bedroom bungalows on the wide expanse of land after destroying the buildings and dispossessing those who had their buildings on the land.
Irked by the audacity of the police that claimed the land was allotted to them by the Lagos State Government, the communities, after lodging complaints to the necessary authorities, took the police and the state government to court. But a court injunction allegedly given by the presiding Judge of Badagry High Court, restraining all parties to the suit to maintain status quo, pending the determination of the substantive suit was not enough to stop the police from continuing construction on the disputed land.
Seeing this as an affront on the judiciary, the communities protested to the Lagos State House of Assembly in June this year and presented a petition to the House, urging it to intervene in the matter and rescue them from the ‘lawlessness’ of the police who the communities alleged are working in concert with the state government.
In response to the protest and petition, the Assembly set up an ad-Hoc committee headed by the Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Rotimi Abiru to look into the matter with a view to redressing the situation. After holding series of meetings with the communities and government departments saddled with issues of land and physical planning such as the State Ministry of Lands, representatives of the Nigerian Police, Ministry of Physical Planning and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the state over the matter, the committee visited the communities and the site of the demolition.
•Residents stranded after their houses were demolished
Members of the committee, led by Abiru, went round the vast expanse of land littered with rubble and scraps of household items and a large portion where the police have already erected two and three bedroom bungalows and still building more despite the court injunction.
Speaking during the visit, chairman of the three communities, Chief Adu Edeha Charles and the Baale of Mowo, Chief Peter Idowu Ajayi said the land allotted to the police is different from the one they have currently taken possession of forcibly. According to Adu and Ajayi, the land allotted to the police is at Agemowo/Agelado “which is situated at the other side of the expressway”.
Reacting to the action of the police, Adu said: “We view as barbaric, the act of lawlessness and impunity being displayed by the Nigeria Police Force working in concert with the officials and men of the Lagos State Government, by refusing to obey a restraining order of the court, restricting all parties to the suit from building on the disputed land, pending the determination of the substantive suit.
“The decision of the Nigerian Police Force and the Lagos State Government not to obey the orders of the court is nothing but an affront on the Lagos State judiciary. This singular action has further reduced the Lagos State judicial system to mere laughing stock in the comity of nations.”
He urged the committee, as a matter of urgency, to call on the police to stop forthwith all manner of construction work currently going on on the disputed land immediately and find a lasting solution to the problem.
“Finding amicable solution to the dispute will save the state and, indeed the entire country, from looming international embarrassment as we are under intense pressure from the international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to drag the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for their violation of our fundamental human rights,” Adu said.
Also speaking during the visit, the Baale of Mowo land, Ajayi corroborated Adu’s position, saying “we did not sell the land. The land they claim to have bought is further away. They brought money to me that we should leave the land for them but I told them we can’t accept any money; they came and arrested me and some others and we told them we did not sell any land to the police.”
President of Centre for the Defence of Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CDHRDA) Prof. Maurice Fangnon, who was at the meeting said: “ We are going to take the matter to any length to make sure justice is done and we are not withdrawing the case from the court until we see a positive sign from the current effort of the Assembly.”
Responding to questions from journalists after the tour of the demolished site, Adu said: “The police should leave the land and go back to where their land is. They should rebuild this community as it was before demolition. If they can’t do that, then we will tell them how much they can give to each one of us to rebuild it as it was before and also pay some compensation to those who lost their families. I don’t leave with my family again; they have separated me from them. They squat somewhere and I squat somewhere else. People who were house owners and landlords are now homeless and squatters.
“We are also asking the government to pay us N100 billion and we think we are being magnanimous on our demand. This is so because the damage done is worth N500 billion.”
He urged the committee to redress the injustice and return them to their ancestral homes as house owners/landlords because “we have been rendered homeless.”
He confirmed that they have title documents to the land which they have given to the Ad-Hoc committee. He also said members of the communities are law-abiding citizens who have never defaulted in the payment of taxes and land use charges to the state government.
While commending the communities for the mature way they have handled the matter, Abiru told them that the state government was not involved in the development of the land as the communities believed.
He said: “It will be good if you communicate the truth of the matter. The Lagos State Government only allocated lands to the Nigerian Police, but it is not involved in the development of the land. It is the police co-operatives that is doing the project. We are here to assess the demolition exercise, but we will not pass any judgment as we are not any court of law and the case is in court.”
He made it clear that the House could not restrain the Nigerian Police from developing the land, but that they could only make recommendations. He promised that the committee would surely get justice for them very soon through its intervention.
He emphasised that the members of the committee decided to pay a visit to the area to see things for themselves, adding that after going round the site, the Assembly would do its best to protect the interest of the landlords whose properties, worth millions of Naira were destroyed.
He appealed to the distraught displaced persons to tarry on the court case as he clarified that the Lagos State Government is one that cares for the well-being of the people and will always protect the welfare and interests of the citizens.
The lawmaker said the committee has met with the state Ministry of Lands, representatives of the Nigerian Police, Ministry of Physical Planning and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the state over the matter, saying the committee would come up with its recommendations to the House soon.
•Abiru
Hon. Abiru reiterated the commitment of the committee to the project and urged the local chief to avail the committee of relevant documents, promising to bring all the stakeholders together at the next sitting of the committee at the Assembly so that the matter would be resolved amicably.
Meanwhile, the residents, many hitherto house owners/landlords remain homeless while those who are luckier are squatting with relatives and friends. Many are leaving apart from their wives and children. How long this situation will persist for the people of Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 2 in Badagry is not certain, but the Lagos State House of Assembly has promised to do something about the situation and give them relief.
Investigation
Southwest Report investigation revealed that the land in dispute which is 64.4 hectares is part of the global title acquisition of 1972 by the Federal Government and the Jakande administration in 1980. By the acquisition, government owns all the land. After the acquisition, according to a top official in the Ministry of Lands who craved anonymity because of the “sensitivity” of the matter, government paid compensations to some families and excision to others. This indicates that they had given up ownership of the land and duly compensated.
In 2007, the 64.4 hectares of land under dispute was allotted to the Nigeria Police after payment of N173, 158, 661.25 to the state government.
According to an official of the Ministry of Lands, the land was vacant or, more or less, a virgin land as at the time it was allotted to the police.
However, what was written on the allotment paper given to police was Agemowo and Agelado. But, probably because this part of the land did not meet the taste of the police, they complained and when the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) was issued by the state government, it had Mowo on it, it is the same name ‘Mowo’ that is also in the survey plan in the office of the state Surveyor-General.
An official in the Surveyor-General’s office said the survey plan can only pick the generic name ‘Mowo’ while Agelado and Agemowo are villages under Mowo and only co-ordinate; which, in essence, means that Agelado, Agemowo, Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 2 are all under the land acquired under the generic name ‘Mowo’ by the state government.
So, government might have decided to give the current disputed portion to the police when it complained about the first allotment since the whole land belongs to government.
As for the documents paraded by the communities to claim ownership to the land, the top official in the Ministry of Lands said it cannot be valid because most of them are not original and that the survey plan they submitted needs to be verified by the Surveyor-General’s office.
So, while the survey plan being presented by the police is official and with the office of the Surveyor-General. This invariably confers ownership of the land to them. The same cannot be said for that of the communities.
The official said: “While the survey plan of the communities is not a valid document, the one presented by the police was issued by the Office of the Surveyor-General which makes the police the rightful owners of the land.”
An official of the Ministry of Physical Planning, who also craved anonymity because he was not competent to speak on the matter, said when the police reported encroachment on the land to ex-Governor Babatunde Fashola, the letter was forwarded to the ministry and notice of contravention, notice to quit and demolition notice in that order were issued to the encroaching communities at different times before the demolition was carried out. The police also denied receiving any injunction from the court restraining them from continuing with the work on the land as claimed by the communities.
However, the police’s C of O was issued in 2009, about a year after the communities filed a case against the alleged forcible acquisition of the land.
According to a source close to the committee, Adu confessed that the high cost of obtaining the necessary documents prevented the communities from obtaining the relevant documents to the land. This would mean that what they have as documents are receipts for the purchase of plots of land by individual buyers and probably survey plans drawn up without the knowledge of the Surveyor-General’s office.
This problem is not peculiar to the communities in Bagagry alone. There are similar problems in Abijo, Ikorodu and Sango Tedo areas of the state; where traditional owners of lands that have been acquired by government go ahead to sell the same plots of land to unsuspecting individuals who go ahead to build on the land only for government to come later to demolish their properties and take possession of the land after such individuals would have spent millions of Naira in building their homes.
There is, therefore, urgent need for the government to publicise such acquisitions of land to prevent more Lagos residents from falling victims.
Since members of Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 2 communities in Badagry would not be wholly blamed for their current plight, the government may want to consider their losses and current difficulties and compensate them on compassionate grounds.
A member representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon. Abiodun Dada-Awoleye has congratulated the newly-elected President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhaji Waheed Odusile.
He also sought the support of the media to ensure the actualisation of his recent sponsored bill at the National Assembly for the establishment of National Assembly broadcast projects.
The lawmaker urged the new NUJ President to uphold the ethics of journalism profession by ensuring fair play in the discharge of his duties.
He spoke with journalists in Ibadan on the importance of the National Assembly broadcast project. He said such project will enhance journalism and create job opportunities for professionals in the sector.
According to him, the motion entitled “Need to Expedite Action on the Establishment of the National Assembly Broadcast Project” was also planned to improve accessibility to lawmakers in their respective constituents through the broadcast media.
He further explained that the National Assembly Radio and Television project would allow the citizens to be better informed about parliamentary lawmaking processes and also allow them to be familiarised with crucial decisions that directly affect their lives and the society at large.
“Let me start by congratulating the newly-elected President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhaji Waheed Odusile on his recent victory at the polls. May God help him in discharging his duties. Upholding the ethics of journalism profession will help him to take the noble profession of journalists to the next level.
“On the establishment of the National Assembly Radio and Television stations, it would help in broadcasting all sittings of the plenary, committee meetings, special committees sittings and other over-sight functions of the legislature. This will therefore enhance citizens’ participation in lawmaking processes and governance in the country,” he said.
He further said the parliamentary broadcast project will not only enlightened the citizenry but also allow Nigerians in the Diaspora and the international community to participate and collaborate in the workings and activities of the National Assembly.
“The stations will also broadcast programmes in the Nigerian major languages and have live sign language interpretation for the hearing-impared to also have access to the television.
The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe has called on Ekiti sons and daughters to join efforts with the management of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) in Ado-Ekiti to make it a world-class hospital.
Oba Adejugbe spoke when the management of the teaching hospital paid him a visit in his palace. He noted that government alone cannot make the hospital great.
He also advised medical practitioners to encourage their colleagues who hail from Ekiti State but practising in other hospitals both at home and abroad to come home and contribute their quota to the development of the hospital and, by extension, to the state in general.
The Ewi commended the leadership of EKSUTH for having young and vibrant medical practitioners in the hospital.
Speaking earlier, the Chief Medical Director of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Kolawole Ogundipe said the visit to the monarch was to intimate him of the activities of the hospital.
He explained that five Accreditation Teams have visited the hospital for accreditation.
