Residents of Wood Island Estate in Isawo, Ikorodu, have raised the alarm over the demolition of more than 100 houses by suspected land grabbers, calling on the government to urgently intervene, prosecute those responsible, and ensure full compensation for the victims.
The affected homeowners said the demolished properties had been legitimately owned for over 25 years, lamenting that the destruction was carried out by individuals backed by armed thugs—without any prior notice or valid court orders.
Some residents revealed that the crisis began late last year when thugs began forcefully evicting occupants, eventually leading to the widespread demolition.
They noted that several homeowners living abroad are still unaware their houses have been destroyed.
A retired civil servant, Sanni Gerard, whose home was among those affected, said he had owned the property since 2014.
He recounted receiving a call over the weekend about his house being vandalized, but on arrival, he was blocked by thugs demanding a N3,000 “entry fee” before he could access his property.
“After the payment, I was allowed inside and they said I should go and see their leader, who is Olotu. I went and met him. He asked if I had land there and I said yes. He asked for my documents and I provided my receipt and then he said it was no longer valid.
“They have failed to show us any court order or link us to the person they claimed is the new owner.
“The man said, if I want the place, I have to go and pay additional money to who? I said, well, you have destroyed my property and you are asking me to go and pay additional money to who? He said that’s none of their businesses .”
Speaking to reporters, Chairman, Community Development Association (CDA) in the area, Adekunle Adeiga, said when the people first came last September, as the head of all the CDAs in the area, he went to them to find out what was happening and they told him they had come to take over their father’s property.
“But after sometime, I noticed that people are coming to complain to me that they are destroying some houses at Wood Island. I called people including the chairman representing Wood Island but they all denied it.
“I don’t know how they got it done. At the end, what I noticed was that all the lands, the buildings were destroyed.
“The houses that I knew were here should be at least 70 both completed and uncompleted. The people demolishing said they got an injunction from the court as the new owner of the land. The community during a meeting at Oke Oko, requested for the court papers but they could not present any.
“Many times we asked for the order or any document from the court but they kept telling us that their lawyer will present them to us. Later the lawyer told us that he was not in possession of any paper. Then, about two weeks ago, the lawyer publicly told us at a meeting at Oke Oko that there was no judgment yet. That the case is on and they believe they will win.”
Contacted, the Coordinator, Arugbo Odo /Aboki Lawal family, Eniran Orisan, admitted that his family sold the land to the affected victims.
He said he was not aware of any court order against his family, adding that they have been the legitimate owners of the land and the entire Owutu since 1904 following a Supreme Court judgment.
He said a petition was sent to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on the criminal conduct of the suspected land grabbers, adding that the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) intervened timely and arrested two of the suspects.
