A woman is demanding justice after some policemen acting on ‘Court order’, stormed her home and forcibly evicted them.
But it turned out that the said court order was implemented on the wrong house, at which point, most of their properties have been allegedly damaged.
The incident occurred on 21, Akintunde Street, Onike, Yaba at about 11:30am last Thursday.
Mrs Medina Billy, a mother of two, who took to social media to complain about the lawlessness in the country, said about 30 policemen and 25 touts stormed her home not willing to listen to the occupants.
“I was in my flat on the penthouse when one of the policemen ordered I should come down that there is a problem. I asked, they did not explain what the problem was but they insisted I come downstairs. Upon coming downstairs, the policeman said they have an order from Lagos High Court to take possession of our residence.
“I asked them I needed to go upstairs and contact the landlord so that they can speak with him to clarify the issue. As I was going upstairs, about four policemen and up to 10 touts followed me right into my sitting room. I was confused. Before I could find my phone and put a call through to my husband to contact the landlord, they started carrying my property and throwing them through the veranda downstairs.
“I was carrying my one-year-old baby who had started wailing in fright in all the confusion. I did not have enough credit on my phone at the time so I begged one of the policemen to use his phone and he refused flatly. I managed to get one of the touts to use his phone.
“I called my husband and handed the phone to one of the policemen who did not allow him to speak only telling him in a very rude manner that they have an order from the court. The landlord also called in and engaged the policemen that they must be in the wrong property as he holds a court settlement of almost 20 years ago on the property.
“They shouted him down on the phone and continued throwing our things out which damaged most of my property. Imagine throwing wall AC and CD deck down a two storey building! My sitting room chairs were hauled from that height as well.
“Eventually, my landlord succeeded in getting his lawyer to contact the plaintiff’s lawyers (Ayinde Sanni & Co) to cross check their books and be sure they sent the policemen and thugs to the right property. They must have realised their mistake and contacted the policemen and thugs who have already vandalised our property and traumatised us by locking us and our property outside the gate.
“They now came back to open the gate without an apology and shouted we may go back in. Some of the touts now said we should pay them to pack our things back in.
“When we started expressing our frustration and shouting at them that President Muhammadu Buhari must hear this, some of the thugs came back again to throw us out and said we should call President Buhari while the policemen looked on without doing anything! They later opened the gate after they have made sure we were intimidated and left,” she said.
Continuing, the angry woman said a lot of their properties were damaged and some things were missing in their home.
She decried the manner with which the policemen conducted themselves, describing it as horrible and disgraceful.
According to her, the whole operation was evidence that there’s no law in the country, wondering how law enforcement officers will, without remorse, treat citizens in such a manner.
“Attempts to take the pictures of the policemen were met with violence and threats. We are currently speaking to our lawyers as we must get justice for this carelessness by the lawyers of the plaintiffs and the policemen and the inhumane treatment meted on us.
“There is no law in this country anymore. Before, I was explaining to them that they came to the wrong house because we have two House 21 in our street, but they didn’t listen. I said to myself: Where is the law in the country since police that were meant to support and protect the citizens of this country were the ones pointing guns at the citizens?”
Residents of Fajuyi/Irewolede Estate in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, have petitioned Inspector–General of Police Solomon Arase over alleged plan of the Ayodele Fayose administration to evict them.
Copies of the petitions were sent to Commissioner of Police James Etop; Director-General Department of State Services (DSS) Lawal Musa Daura; DSS State Director; Registrar of the State High Court and the National Human Rights Commission.
The residents said this runs contrary to a court ruling, urging status quo on the matter still pending in court.
The Chairman of the Residents Association, Ayo Orebe, said in the petition that the governor was acting on wrong advice by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Owoseni Ajayi, to evict them on April 1, contrary to a court ruling urging the parties to stay further action until the determination of the suit.
“You will recall that we had earlier written two letters to your office over forceful ejection from our houses in breach of the purchase agreement between house owners and the Housing Corporation.
“The first letter was dated August 6, last year, entitled: “Petition Against the Ekiti State Housing Corporation and State Government Over Forceful Eviction”.
“The second letter was dated September 17, last year and entitled: “Petition against the State Housing Corporation and State Government Over Illegal Revocation of Property”, which was necessitated by revocation letters served on 17 residents for daring to sue the government.
“The revocation letters were served on us, despite a case before Justice Bamidele Omotoso of the State High Court, Ado-Ekiti,” Orebe explained.
He added that on December 9, last year, Justice Omotoso ruled in the presence of the police, government and Housing Corporation’s counsel that the parties must not take any step on the matter, until the case was determined.
Orebe attached a copy of the court ruling to his petition. He also said on January 11, 2016, the court quashed the revocation letters served on the residents by the Housing Corporation during the pendency of the suit.
“We thought the two rulings of the court ought to have curbed the illegalities and impunity of the Housing Corporation and the government, but this was not so.
“The governor invited the residents to a meeting on March 17 in the Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti, where he threatened to evict the chairman and residents, especially the 17 whose names appeared on the cause list, irrespective of the court ruling of January 11.
“It was shocking that the Commissioner of Justice, who was present at the meeting, misinterpreted the court ruling by advising the governor to evict the residents.
“The case is still before the court and the next adjournment is today for hearing of the first and second defendants’ motion to amend their witnesses’ statements on oath,” he explained.
He urged the police chief to advise the governor to obey the law to avoid action that may precipitate crisis in the state.
The Ekiti State government has revoked the sale of the house purchased by the Mrs. Bolu Fayemi-Ayodele, the elder sister of former Governor KayodeFayemi, at the Irewolede (Fajuyi) Estate along Ilawe Road, Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
Mrs. Fayemi-Ayodele who was served with the letter conveying the revocation order on Thursday vowed to challenge the action in the court of law.
The former governor’s sister received her revocation barely 24 hours after the Corporation in a letter by its lawyer, Br. Awe, revoked house sale to the Chairman of Irewolede Residents Association, Ayo Orebe.
Confirming the receipt of letter revoking the sale of the house she purchased on mortgage in 2011 in a telephone chat on yesterday, Mrs. Fayemi-Ayodele described the action as “politically motivated.”
She said: “They brought the letter yesterday (Thursday) it was given to me to sign that I received the original copy. The official who brought the letter said he was carrying out the directive given to him and I can’t blame him for that.
“The house in question is not a rented house, it’s my personal house which was purchased on a mortgage which still subsists even though I have not completed payment. I am going to court to challenge this latest action because a case is already in court over the last eviction and if there is any case in court, parties are not expected to take any action until the case is disposed of.
“When I read the content of the letter, I told the bearer that all that was written in the letter are fallacies. I know that the action was taken because he (Fayose) believes that I am a sister to the former governor (Fayemi) and he feels that he can do anything he likes. I believe that action was politically motivated.”
Omowunmi, the mother of the 10 year old girl (names withheld) allegedly defiled by a co-tenant , Mayowa Adeyemi, is now being threatened with eviction from her one-room boys squatter apartment at Miyaki, Oworonshoki by her landlord.
In spite of the psychological and traumatic experience she has been going through after the incident, the woman said she is also under pressure by her landlord simply called Baba Sulia and a lawyer called Kayode, who is representing the interest of the man who allegedly defiled her daughter to settle out of court and accept N100,000 compensation.
Those who are also pleading with her to settle out of court and accept monetary compensation include the siblings of the defendant and a lady who lives in Bourdillon said to be a benefactor of the perpetrator of the dastardly act.
Mayowa who is alleged to have defiled the child is presently being tried by the Police at an Ikeja Chief Magistrate court sitting in Ogba.
He was arraigned before the court presided by Chief Magistrate Y. J. Badejo-Okusanya on charges bordering on child molestation and defilement on Monday August 24, 2015 and is presently in prison custody on the order of the court while the matter had been adjourned till October 12, 2015 for continuation of trial.
Mayowa was arraigned by the police before the court following the outcome of the examination carried out on his victim at the Mirabel Centre, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.
From the Mirabel Centre, Omowunmi was referred to the Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) upon the medical evidences discovered by the centre corroborated the oral testimony of the victim, hence the commencement of his trial.
Omowunmi said she woke up in the middle of the night on August 18, 2015 only to discover semen on the thigh and vagina of her nine year old daughter.
Upon enquiry, the victim told her mother that her neighbour, Mayowa forcibly had canal knowledge of her.
Asked why she did not cried out, the victim said her assailant covered her mouth with a pillow and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
Upon the confession of the victim, the mother said she quickly called the RRS team who arrested the defendant and took them to Oworonshoki Police station.
She said they were referred to Mirabel Centre by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) Aisha for further test after her initial examination of the victim and based on what she discovered in the vagina of the victim.
In spite of this development, the mother of two said she is being threatened with eviction from her one-room apartment despite that she has a subsisting tenancy arrangement on the house which she moved into December last year after paying for a two year tenancy arrangement with her landlord.
While the lawyer was pressuring her to accept N100,000 as compensation on behalf of the victim, her landlord, simply called Baba Sulia threatened her with eviction because he was not consulted and given opportunity to intervene in the crisis between her and her neighbour in order to achieve amicable settlement between them before inviting the Police into the matter.
She said in addition that her landlord and wife have continuosly abused her in the most unprintable languages for refusing to drop the case instituted by the Police against Mayowa.
She said she no longer feel safe in the house as the senior brother to her daughter’s assailant may have also been monitoring her movement as he daily, asked of her movement since the incident occurred two weeks ago.
The threat of eviction of Omowunmi by her landlord is now being handled by the Citizen’s Mediation Centre(CMC) an agency of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice.
The DSVRT Coordinator, Lola Vivour-Adeniyi said all those pressurizing the mother of the victim to drop the case have all been informed that these are issues that the state government is interested in and that the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) had already requested for the duplicate of the case file to be forwarded to the office.
Vivour-Adeniyi said the case epitomizes the undue external pressures faced by victims and their relatives to have these matters settled out of court. She stressed that the state government is however determined to ensure that justice is done in the matter.
She said issues of rape, child defilement and other forms of domestic violence are crimes committed against the State and only the Attorney-General has the power to discontinue a matter. Victims should therefore be encouraged to speak out and urged members of community to desist from pressurizing victims to settle out of court.
Residents of Irewolede Estate in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, who were evicted from their homes, have gone to court to challenge the action of the state government.
They were evicted for failing to complete payment of mortgages on their houses within the time stipulated by the Ayo Fayose administration.
But they were saved by the intervention of traditional rulers and the state’s prominent indigenes, who pleaded on their behalf after which government granted an extension of three months within which to complete their payment.
The embattled estate residents now have up to November 30 to pay up or face a fresh eviction exercise expected to begin on December 1.
In a suit filed by their counsel Rafiu Balogun at an Ado-Ekiti High Court, the Irewolede Estate Landlords through their chairman Ayo Orebe and 17 others are seeking an order for the payment of N20 million as aggravated and exemplary damages for trespass, humiliation, assault and degrading treatment meted out to them by the defendants.
The defendants/respondents in the suit are the Attorney General of Ekiti State (first), Ekiti State Housing Corporation (second), Ekiti State Commissioner of Police (third) and Ekiti State Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (fourth).
Attached to the Writ of Summons are relevant documents like receipts of initial deposits, letters of provisional allocation of houses to claimants by the housing corporation and applications for mortgage loans.
The claimants are also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants either by themselves or by their agents, servants, workers, officers and men of the third and fourth defendants from ejecting or further disturbing them as they have not committed any breach of purchase/mortgage agreement until the agreement is determined by court.
Another relief sought is a declaration that the acts of Ekiti State Government and second defendant by forcibly entering into the estate, assaulting the claimants, locking them out using the officers and men of the third and fourth defendants and political thugs amount to breach of context and tortuous acts of assault and trespass.
They equally prayed the court for a declaration that the purchase/mortgage agreement entered into with the second defendant in respect of their houses located in the estate as contained in their respective letters of offer is subsisting and government and housing corporation are duty bound to honour same.
In the statement on oath of the first claimant (Orebe), he averred that house owners were requested to pay the total costs of the houses within the period ranging from five to 15 years from the day offer letters were written to them by the second defendant.
He added that house owners have not even exhausted the initial period of five years within which to pay up let alone asking for an extension of another five years as provided for in the letters of offer.
Orebe said: “I know that we were flabbergasted and rattled when the present administration under the leadership of Governor Ayo Fayose summoned us for a meeting and handed down a strong warning to us that we must pay up all the purchase prices within a period of one month or face dire and terrible consequences of ejection.
“I know that Mr. Governor also went on air both at the state radio and television stations to embarrass all of us by saying publicly that we are occupying our houses free of charge. This was done to deliberately to incite Ekiti people against us and expose us to ridicule and hatred.
“I know that the state government started making good its threat when Governor Fayose ordered the invasion of the estate by armed policemen, civil defence officers and political thugs on August 5th and 6th, 2015, who sealed some houses and harassed occupants.
“The situation was so bad that my four-day-old baby and his mother, my wife, were locked up inside my house and the keys were taken away.”
Thursday was a bad day for many residents of Irewolede Estate in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, as they were forcibly evicted from their homes by the Ayo Fayose administration for alleged failure to complete payment of their mortgages. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports that reprieve came their way on Saturday when the deadline for payment was extended to November.
For many residents of Irewolede Estate that was later renamed Adekunle Fajuyi Estate, Thursday, August 6 was a day they would never forget in a hurry.
It was a day they witnessed the fury of a government that was bent on recovering the proceeds from the mortgage on the houses in the estate.
A combined team of armed policemen, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and officials of the State Housing Corporation stormed the estate to evict owners of houses who were yet to complete payment of their mortgages.
They were armed with guns, padlocks, chains and other gadgets in order to effect the “order from above”.
one of the buldozers tearing down.
Bulldozers were also busy pulling down what government officials referred to as “illegal structures” in the estate.
The operation was already in full swing at 10:00 a.m. when the operatives moved into the houses of the ‘defaulters’, forcing out the occupants and sealing off their residences.
Helpless wives, children and other relations were wailing uncontrollably; unsure of where next they would call their homes.
Government had, two months earlier, served them notice to pay up or be ejected, but raising the money within the short period was a task too taxing for many of them.
While some succeeded “one way or the other” to pay up, most of them, especially those who still had long ways to go to complete their payment, couldn’t meet the deadline.
Apparently learning from a Yoruba axiom which says “a war long declared well ahead of time would not consume a wise cripple”, many of the landlords in the estate who were unable to meet the deadline had since left to avoid the ignominy of being forced out of their homes.
They had left their residences to put up with relations, friends, members of the same faith and other Good Samaritans in other parts of the city.
Others who had nowhere to go to stayed put to face the fury of the “unwanted visitors”.
one of the locked gates
It was a pitiable sight to see landlords and landladies in the estate locked out of their residences for allegedly owing ‘millions’ of Naira and becoming homeless in a matter of minutes.
When reporters visited the estate again at 2:00 p.m., security personnel were seen at the gate, while the staff of the Ekiti State Housing Corporation were screening the landlords and identifying those that defaulted and prevented them from gaining entry into the estate.
A shouting march ensued in some houses as some landlords displayed documents to show that they had fulfilled their payment obligation but wondered how their names got into the defaulters’ list.
One of the residents claimed that his dogs which were barking ferociously at the invaders were shot dead.
The drama-of-the-day took place at the home of the chairman of the estate landlords’ association, Ayo Orebe, whose wife and three-day-old baby were locked inside by men of the task force in a bid to enforce the order.
Governor Fayose had earlier constituted a committee, headed by the Deputy
Governor, Dr Kolapo Olusola, to interface with the landlords, from where a directive was given to each of them to pay the amount authorised by the mortgage agreement on or before August 5, or face mass ejection.
The action was also entangled in the web of political intrigues as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administration and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) traded accusations on the eviction.
While the Fayose-led government said the eviction had no political undertone, the APC said it was targeted at opposition figures who served during the Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi administrations.
Many ex-government officials claimed they have a subsisting repayment agreement which are still ongoing, but wondered how they could be told overnight to complete payment within two months.
While speaking with reporters, residents of the estate lamented the indescribable hardship the sealing order had caused them.
A resident, Bolaji Fasanmi, alleged that government was biased in its mode of operation, stressing that some buildings belonging to the executive of the estate were placed under lock and key while those who owe huge sums of money were left unsealed.
Orebe
Mr. Orebe argued that they have mortgage between 10 to 25 years for civil servants and five to 10 years for politicians which he said the government has contravened.
He appealed to the governor to grant them more time to be able to respond to payment, saying the forced eviction could aggravate the poor economic situations of his members.
Orebe, however, blamed the Federal Mortgage Bank for its refusal to disburse funds to banks, claiming that some of his members had subscribed to the bank without remitting same to the government.
He said the sordid scenario would not have happened, but for the stoppage of disbursement of funds by Federal Mortgage Bank under President Goodluck Jonathan-led government.
Orebe urged the governor to set up machinery for the harmonisation of all the agreements reached by landlords for the payment through Aso Savings, Mortgage and outright purchase policies, so that members could be more committed to the payment schedules.
Orebe, who displayed evidence of his payment before reporters, explained that he has fulfilled his obligations through the primary mortgage institution and his house was still placed under lock and key with a three-day-old baby inside the house.
The chairman added that some of them had been living in the estate since 2008, while some moved into the estate in 2011, saying it will be wrong for them to be pushed out in this disastrous way, having contributed immensely to the development of the estate.
“Some of the landlords bought their houses through mortgage arrangement and outright purchase, which will last for a period of 10 years and five years for the payment of the full money respectively.
“Some of us have renovated our residences, spending several thousands of Naira. Some of the landladies are widows whose husbands bought the houses and died few months after they moved in here.
“These widows have no means of livelihood and there is no way they can continue with the payment. Should we now ask those people to vacate for their inabilities to pay?” he asked.
Continuing, he said: “My people are aware of their indebtedness and we have even confirmed to government when the Deputy Governor met with us. But it will be difficult for us to pay this huge amount within a spate of short time.
“But if proper arrangement is worked out, the government will get its money and it will, at the same time, be easy for us to pay. We shall be grateful if government could grant us this opportunity.”
When contacted to speak on the matter, the General Manager, Ekiti State Housing Corporation, Soji Awe was hostile to reporters as he refused to comment on the development.
Throughout the time the uproar lasted, many of the residents did not know their fate as to whether they would lose their houses completely or be given the grace to pay up as some of the buildings have been demolished by the agents of the state government.
But the state government justified its action when it claimed that house owners yet to complete payment owe government over N800 million.
It maintained that the sealing-off of the houses of defaulting occupants of Irewolede Estate has no political undertone; alleging that the affected persons “have bluntly refused to meet their contractual obligations to the government”.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Idowu Adelusi in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, the government said out of 254 allocated houses in the estate, only 37 of those who were allotted houses had paid fully, adding that 217 were yet to complete payment.
“The total amount being owed by the allottees as at the time Governor Fayose assumed office was N904, 635,556.57.
“Total amount recovered since Governor Fayose assumed office was N82 million. Some of the allottees have sold or rented out the houses allocated to them.
“The allottees cut across political parties, as there are notable leaders of the PDP and APC among them. It is therefore not political. Over N800 million is being owed by the allottees as at today.
“Today alone, over N5 million was paid by some of the allottees. The government is insisting that allottees that have declined to pay for the houses allocated to them must pay. Those who are not defaulting did not have their houses sealed.
“Because Governor Fayose directed that Irewolede Housing Estate, Ado-Ekiti be sealed off because of the allottees’ refusal to pay for the houses allocated to them, over N10 million was paid today alone!
“One of the allottees paid N1million, another one paid N396, 500; two others paid N324, 000 and N225, 000 respectively. Others made payments ranging from N45, 000 to N70, 000.
“In all, 27 allottees have made payments as at 2:00 p.m., making a total sum of N87, 447,644 recovered today,” he said.
But the state chapter of the APC would have none of that as he alleged that the action was primarily targeted at its leaders, members, innocent civil servants and other members of the public perceived to have sympathy for the party.
In a statement on Thursday by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the APC described the action as “barbaric, heartless and brutish, as a three-day-old baby and her mother were locked inside the house”.
The APC said: “The action was like a movie from the blues as dangerous-looking thugs and some policemen from the Government House invaded the estate and started harassing residents, sealing off their houses.
“This caused panic among residents, including women and children, some of whom suffered shock,” it explained.
Olatunbosun regretted that the governor behaved “in this reckless manner” even though there was a subsisting mortgage agreement, which allowed the residents to pay over five to 10 years, but Fayose insisted that all the money must be paid within one month.
“As if this harassment was not enough, bulldozers have been moved into the estate to demolish structures which they claimed were constructed without approval in an apparent move to inflict pain on our members.
“If approval was not obtained, the right thing to do is to ask such people to pay the required amount and not to resort to demolition, which is in bad faith,” he said.
Olatunbosun added that the governor had earlier impounded monetised vehicles to political appointees who served in Fayemi’s administration.
Calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to save members of the APC from the governor’s iron rule, Olatunbosun warned that further harassment of APC members would be resisted by all means civil.
“Fayose should be called to order by all men and women of goodwill, as his reign of impunity is becoming embarrassing to all citizens of the state.
“His continuous trampling on the fundamental rights of citizens should be checked without further delay,” Olatunbosun said.
Following the outcry generated by the massive eviction from the estate, traditional rulers and other prominent citizens of the state made representations to Governor Fayose to show mercy to those affected.
After meeting the Obas and some leading lights of Ekiti State, Fayose, on Saturday, granted concession to the “defaulting landlords” by extending deadline for payment till November 30 while government will resume action on December 1.
Another press statement issued on Saturday by Adelusi on Fayose’s behalf said the extension was considered due to intervention by the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, other traditional rulers and some prominent Ekiti indigenes.
He claimed that the monarchs and other eminent Ekiti citizens condemned the “lackadaisical attitude of the defaulting landlords” but pleaded with the governor to give them more time to pay up.
“The governor, however, showed compassion but warned against defaulting, stating that government will resume action against defaulters by December 1.
“Since the government action began, N13 million has been paid by some ýof the defaulters”, the statement concluded. With the temporary reprieve given to the beleaguered landlords and other residents in the estate, they are in a race against time to raise the money as another extension may not be granted.
Meanwhile, lawyers to the victims of forcible ejection have sought police protection for their clients.
They warned Governor Fayose against “avoidable violent clash between residents and law enforcement agents” over his handling of a civil matter that did not follow legal procedure.
The residents have also reacted to their plight, calling on the police authorities not to allow their men be used for illegal activities against law-abiding citizens. In a letter dated August 6, 2015, the Law Chambers of R.O. Balogun and Company called the attention of Ekiti State Commissioner of Police to the alleged Fayose-induced 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 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 will eject our clients and allocate their houses to interested buyers contrary to the mortgage agreement,” the lawyers said.
They urged the Commissioner of Police to protect their clients and prevent avoidable breakdown of law and order and its adverse consequences.
In a separate petition to the police, the residents and house owners in the estate also alleged illegal use of policemen by the governor to forcibly evict them from their homes.
In the petition also copied to the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase; National Human Rights Commission and State Director of the Department of State Services by their chairman, Ayodele Orebe; and Secretary Fidelis Adikwu, the residents complained of harassment and forceful eviction, following refusal of the governor to accept a mortgage agreement with Ekiti State Housing Corporation in the payment for their houses.
“We wish to intimate you of the subsisting mortgage repayment agreement with the State Housing Corporation ranging from five to 10 years.
“However, the corporation suddenly made a U-turn to renege on the agreement on the instruction of the governor by insisting that we must pay up in just one month,” they explained.
They said they were shocked on Thursday when armed policemen and thugs were led by some aides of the governor to seal off the houses and, in the process, a three-day-old baby and her mother were locked inside their house and the thugs went away with the keys.
They said all efforts to have audience with the governor were futile, as he insisted of having his way.
“We see this as a brazen impunity, unnecessary victimisation and violation of our fundamental human rights and we urge you to use your good offices to prevent your men from being used for illegal and inhuman actions, as the residents have not breached their repayment agreement,” they said.
They also urged the police to protect the residents against any form of harassment and forceful eviction that does not have the backing of the court of law.
Reprieve has come the way of the embattled landlords in Irewolede Housing Estate in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, who are yet to complete payment of their mortgages.
Some traditional rulers led by the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, and other prominent indigenes of the state have prevailed on Governor Ayo Fayose to halt their eviction from the estate.
Government task force team moved into the estate on Thursday to eject the ‘defaulting’ landlords, while some structures were also pulled down by bulldozers.
But the opposition claimed that the action was targeted against many of its members who served in the Oni and Fayemi administrations.
Following the intervention of the eminent persons, Fayose has fixed October 31 as the deadline for those yet to complete their payment to do so.
In a statement yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, Fayose said he granted the extension because of the eminent persons intervention.
According to the statement, the royal fathers and other Ekiti leading lights pleaded with the governor to give the landlords more time to pay up.
The statement added: “The governor, however, showed compassion but warned against defaulting, stating that government will resume action against the defaulters by December 1.
“Since the government action began, N13 million has been paid by some of the defaulters”.
If report by TMZ is anything to go by, Michael Jackson’s niece and four nephews may be out on the streets, as they are about to be evicted from their home.
“You may remember Jaafar,” the news medium said, “… he’s the son of Jermaine and Alejandra Jackson, who got in trouble in 2010 when he bought a stun gun and terrorised Michael’s son Blanket. Now Jafaar, along with his brothers; Jermajesty, Dante, Randy and sister Genevieve may be without a roof over their heads because their mom’s landlord says she’s $124,000 behind in rent and has filed legal docs to evict her.”
The story recalled that Alejandra was a squatter in the MJ family home on Hayvenhurst in Encino, refusing to leave when Katherine wanted to renovate the estate. “Last we heard, Katherine offered to get a modest condo for Alejandra and her kids.”
In the building up story, it queried: “So how, pray tell, did Alejandra and her children end up in a $15,000 a month, 7,000 square foot Mediterranean mansion on 24 acres in Malibu with a 180 degree ocean view? Apparently the landlord has the same question, because he says Alejandra hasn’t paid rent for 8 months. We could not reach Alejandra for comment.”
BARELY 24 hours into this year’s edition of the popular Big Brother Africa reality, sign of the dreaded whip started to show, as housemates were asked to nominate themselves for possible eviction.
The show, tagged ‘Chase’ kicked off last Sunday with two Housemates from each of the ?? countries making it into the BBA ‘confinement’ in Johannesburg, South Africa. The following day, five contestants including: Selly (Ghana) and Natasha (Malawi) of the Ruby House and Denzel (Uganda), Betty (Ethiopia) and Huddah (Kenya) belonging to Diamonds House were already put up for possible eviction, this weekend.
After a testing day which saw the housemates having to make nomination decisions on the fly, the lounges in both houses were in sombre mood as Big Brother delivered the nomination verdict.
Early on Day 1, the housemates in both houses got the chance to claim the honour of the fiercely contested Head of House role. Instead of battling it out in a task, Big Brother made the selection random, making the Housemates select a ball from a box in the garden without peeking, the one who chose the winning ball would be Head of House for week 1. Feza picked the right ball in the Diamond house, while Beverly was victorious in the Ruby house.
The Diamonds’ nominations saw Huddah, Denzel and Elikem lead the pack with seven, six and four nominations, respectively. Betty, Annabel, Fatima, Bolt and Neyll picked up two nominations apiece, with Dellish picking up one. Diamond Head of House Feza stuck to her original nomination decision and saved Elikem, replacing him with Betty, who she had nominated during the day.
Once the Rubies had spoken, Selly and Bassey had six nominations each, with Natasha and Hakeem picking up three each. Cleo and Biguesas were each nominated twice, while Sulu, Maria, Beverley, ONeal, Koketso and Pokello were each nominated once. Beverley, in her role as Ruby Head of House, chose to save Bassey and put Natasha up for eviction in his place.
The fate of those on the eviction list rests with the viewers who are to decide on who stays or leaves.
