Hundreds of residents and landlords were thrown into confusion on Friday morning following the invasion of Famade Estate in the Ojokoro area of Lagos by hoodlums suspected to be land grabbers and policemen.
It was said that the policemen claimed they were attached to the office of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and Ojokoro Divisional headquarters.
It was said that the policemen accompanied the youths numbering over 300 to lock the entrance gates of the estate in a bid to enforce a purported recent court judgment which they claimed gave one Shekoni Family the ownership of the land on which the estate was built.
Residents said a notice which reads” possession taken by court order today 15/12/2023 ” has been posted on several houses in the estate.
The notice urged embattled residents to contact Mr. Rasaki Shekoni for further inquiries on his mobile phone number written on the notice.
The hoodlums were said to have brutalized two persons who challenged them for harassing innocent residents amid the siege on the estate.
One of the men brutalized is Bayo Famade, one of the siblings who inherited the estate land from their father.
Shekoni, however said in a telephone conversation with our reporter that he did not shut the entire estate, whn he went there to take possession of the estate.
He said the pedestrian gates were left unlocked to allow for free movement of the residents.
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He said: ” We only went to the estate to take possession following court judgment that gave my family ownership of the estate land after about 30 years of legal tussle in court.
”The pedestrian gates were not locked at all so that residents can move in and out. Only the major entrance gate were locked and we did not beat up anyone.”
However, Segun Famade said Shekoni lied saying that the pedestrian gates were not open for residents to move in and out of the estate.
”My younger brother, Bayo Famade was beaten up by the hoodlums led by Shekoni while the policemen did not do anything to save him. As we speak, my brother is in sever pains following te brutality.
”Also, Shekoni lied that the pedestrians gates were not locked. He actually supervised the sealing of all entrances to our estate including the pedestrian gates..
”Our family is not a party in the suit he purportedly got a judgment that he is using to secure possession of our property,” he added.
Contacted, the spokesman of the Lagos Police Command, Mr. .Benjamin Hundeyin promised to revert to our reporter. He was however unable to do so at press time.