The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ‘Land grabber’

  • Land grabber jailed two years

    An Ikoyi Magistrates’ Court yesterday sentenced a man, Saheed Magbe, to two years in prison for illegal possession of land.

    Magistrate A.S. Odusanya found Magbe, 35, guilty of the two-count charge of forcible entry and forcible possession of land preferred against him by the government.

    Magistrate Odusanya sentenced Magbe to one year imprisonment on each count.

    The sentence will run concurrently.

    The court gave the convict N100,000 fine option.

    Magbe’s conviction, the court said, would deter other land grabbers from taking law into their hand.

    Magbe, who pleaded guilty, thanked the court for considering his plea for leniency during the trial.

    Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem said government was pleased with the verdict, adding: “when you secure conviction, that shows that the law is working”.

  • Ilamose residents decry threats to life, properties

    Ilamose residents decry threats to life, properties

    Residents of Ilamose, Oke-Afa community in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area have cried out over plans by a Lagos property developer, Alhaji Hakeem Osuolale to unlawfully invade the community to destroy their landed properties.
    At a briefing in the estate last week, spokesman of the embattled community, Mr Dele Olokobi noted the property developer had started issuing new threats despite a court order suspending the execution of an earlier court judgement (Suit No: ID/ 1752/89) in the community.
    In spite of the court order, he stated that Osuolale had been going on air and newspapers threatening the residents that by the end of this month, he would be coming to bulldoze their properties in Ilamose.
    “Despite our law abiding stance and the fact that many pronouncements have been made by the court, Alhaji Osuolale, attorney to the judgement creditors has continued to harass, intimidate and force residents out of their houses. He continues to forcefully grab people’s undeveloped property,” Olokobi lamented.
    He enjoined Osuolale to respect the court order, pointing out that at the February 2nd court sitting on the case, the judge had advised each party not to resort to any form of self-help. “Since the matter is still in court, he has no right to carry out the execution with his thugs and miscreants armed with dangerous weapons to harass people. It’s a wrong execution of the judgement. He should wait for the outcome of the pending court case,” he said.
    He called on the appropriate authorities including the Police to deploy any form of assistance to the area to forestall any acts of hooliganism, malicious damage to property, a public disturbance which may result to threat to life and property in the community. 
    “We want the world to know about the harassment and intimidation from this man and his agents and for him to be called to order. We have been going through a lot of suffering because of this man. Enough is enough,” Olokobi added.
    When contacted, Alhaji Hakeem Osuolale said an agreement was signed between the community and his company in 2016 at the instance of the Ojoun of Ejigbo and Ijanland, Oba Moroof Adekunle Ojoola as the mediator.
    He advised the property owners to honour the agreement to ratify their properties on or before the expiration of the deadline to avoid the demolition of the properties.
    However, Olokobi debunked the statement noting that those who purportedly signed the agreement did so under duress and should be disregarded.

    It will be recalled that the community has been facing incessant crisis since November 2015 when hoodlums accompanied by court bailiffs and policemen who came to effect a court order attacked and unleashed mayhem on residents of the estate, looted shops and destroyed properties worth millions of naira.

    Narrating the genesis of the crisis, Olokobi stated: “The trouble started when the Ojo Barber family won a court verdict in 2011, which permitted them to repossess a parcel of land around the area which excluded Peace Estate, Ilamoshe CDA, Canal CDA, and Makunju Avenue.
    But last year November, the said family started marking some houses that are beyond the court jurisdiction for repossession, and even went further to engage the services of thugs to lock and demolish some of those unaffected properties, posing as threats to their lives and property.
    He lamented that the incessant harassment by the creditor and their agents was becoming unbearable for the residents and called on the state government to call them to order to ‘stop the thug activities of Ojo Barber family and allow peace to reign in their community.’
    “We are tired of their activities. Many of us are retirees, who worked for many years; all we want is peace in our community. The government should please save us from these thugs being used by the judgment creditor to harass us all the time,” Olokobi stated.

  • ‘Save us from land grabber’

    Residents of Kajola in Owode-Egba, Ogun State, have appealed to Governor Ibikunle Amosun to rescue them from a land grabber.

    The people, who spoke to The Nation at the weekend, alleged that the land grabber, a man (name withheld), came to their community with armed hoodlums and disrupted construction.

    They alleged that the land grabber and his gang also dispossessed them of their buildings, adding that the man acted under the directive of a woman (name withheld).

    The residents sent an SOS to Police Commissioner Ahmed Illiyasu to to protect their lives and property.

    “We appeal to Governor Amosun and the police to protect us.

    “We have our land documents and see no reason why this land grabber and his boys should torment and oppress us.

    “Enough of this ill treatment. The government should take urgent step to maintain law and order and prevent bloodshed,” they said.

  • ‘Land grabber’ arrested with SIM card of slain MTN worker

    ‘Land grabber’ arrested with SIM card of slain MTN worker

    A middle-aged man,  Abiodun Fagbore, who claims to be a ‘land grabber’ (Omo Onile) in Lagos has been arrested by police for being in possession of the SIM card of a man killed by robbers.

    Parading the suspect last Friday, Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni said: “This is a case of murder.  On November 20, 2015, one Mr Wale Olawunmi of 17 Adebisi Nagana Street, Ikotun, Lagos reported through a petition that on October 21, his brother named David Olatunji Olawunmi, a staff of MTN Communication who left his house in Goshen Estate Redeemed Camp Mowe, around 5:30am to join their staff bus at Mowe Tipper Garage, was robbed and stabbed to death by unknown hoodlums.”

    His body, he said, was recovered at Tipper garage without his phones.

    Owoseni added: “Based on the analysis conducted on the activation of the victim’s phones, one of the phone numbers – 07035921551 – was found to have been used on October 22, 2015.

    “It was further revealed that the said phone number was registered by one Biodun Fagbore.  He was consequently arrested and on interrogation, he admitted being the owner of the said SIM card and claimed to have bought the said phone but could not produce the source.

    “He also claimed to have given the phone with SIM card to one of his boys whom he could not produce; obviously the circumstantial evidence has linked him up with the complicity.

    Fagbore said: “I bought SIM for people.  I did not know that they can commit offence with SIM cards.  I don’t even charge them a dime. The one that brought problem was the one I gave to an Okada rider who rides motorcycle for me, so that he can call me in case police disturb him.  I registered five SIM with my name at Mowe.  I did not know that problem will come.”