THE embattled residents of Irewolede Estate, who were evicted from their homes last Thursday over alleged inability to complete payment of their mortgages, are seeking police protection from what they called “brazen impunity, unnecessary victimisation and violation of their fundamental human rights.”
They got a lifeline on Saturday following the intervention of traditional rulers led by the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe and other prominent citizens, who pleaded with Governor Ayo Fayose to extend deadline for the payment of outstanding mortgages.
Fayose accepted the pleas of the monarchs and leaders of thought by extending the deadline to November 30, after which “action will begin again on December 1”.
But lawyers to the “victims of forceful ejection”, while seeking protection for their clients, warned Fayose against “avoidable violent clash between residents and law enforcement agents” over his handling of a civil matter.
The residents have also reacted to their plight, calling on the police authorities not to allow their men to be used for illegal activities against law-abiding citizens.
The Law Chambers of Rafiu O. Balogun and Company, in a letter dated August 6, 2015, called the attention of Ekiti State Commissioner of Police to the alleged breach of mortgage agreement in the purchase of their clients’ houses.
“Our clients applied to the housing corporation for purchase of their houses and accepted the offer and paid the initial deposit in line with the Letters of Offer and took possession, and, accordingly, all of them have been occupying their respective houses, having paid the initial deposit in line with the agreement.
“By the tenure of the sale agreement, our clients are requested to pay the total cost of their houses within the period of five years from the day Offer Letters were written to them by the corporation,” the lawyers explained.
They added that the agreement also included extension of another five years to make it convenient for them to pay up the mortgage sum, regretting that even the first five years had not been exhausted, let alone the extension of time before the governor moved against their clients.
“It is worrisome that the governor can be threatening fire and brimstone, when the tenure of the mortgage has not expired.
“During the last meeting his excellency had with our clients, he restated his threat pointblank that he would eject our clients and allocate their houses to interested buyers, contrary to the mortgage agreement,” the lawyers explained.
They urged the police commissioner to protect their clients and prevent avoidable breakdown of law and order and its adverse consequences.