Members of Ogombo community in Eti-Osa Local Government of Lagos State have sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Erase, Governor of Lagos State AkinwumiAmbode and the Commissioner of Police in the Lagos State Police Command to rescue them from criminal activities in the community.
In a three-page petition dated August 25, 2015 and signed on behalf of the Ogudu Chieftaincy Council by Chief Kehinde Oseni, head of the family and current Regent of the community, Yesiru Disu, Alhaji Imam Arafat Shitta, member, and the Chief Imam of Ogombo, a community leader, the petitioners called for urgent intervention to stem the tide of violence, terrorism, threat to life and destruction of property by disgruntled members of the community.
According to the complainants, the individual and collective activities of the deviants have in the past few months culminated in a series of invasion and forceful takeover of land and property belonging to the Ogombo community, including eight hectares of land sold to a real estate company.
Part of the document reads: “These invaders and their heavily-armed thugs and social miscreants have overwhelmed the community. They have taken over most of the access roads in Ogombo, practically cutting off one of the main routes to and from the town by erecting a fence across the road as everyone is now compelled to come in and go out of the town through just one road, a ploy aimed at getting at some targeted members of the community – especially members of the Ogudu Oke Oshadi Chieftaincy Family, their perceived enemies.”
The complainants said they had in the past lodged their complaints with the Ajah Area Police Command, Ogombo Police Station, with no result. “The Ogudu Chieftaincy Council on behalf of themselves, Ogombo Community and lawful stakeholders are crying for justice. We are appealing to all authorities to come to our aid by stopping the audacious acts of violence, terrorism being visited on our community by the invaders before it gets out of hand, as a stitch in time saves nine.”
Noting that the matter is in the court, the community called on the invaders to maintain the status quo until the outcome of the court hearing.