The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Land grabbers

  • ‘Land grabbers are ruining us’

    The people of Amokwu Diala Community in Ngodo-Isuochi, Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State have protested the destruction of their farm produce by land grabbers, who, they said, have been selling their land.

    The Amokwu people are calling on the local government chairman Mr. Okechukwu Igwe to stop encroaching on their land and respect the agreement reached between the council and the community since 2012.

    Speaking with newsmen in his palace at Ngodo-Isuochi, the traditional ruler of Amokwu Diala community, HRH Eze Obiechila Nwokoro alleged that they were being deprived of their land which was freely given to them by God since creation.

    Eze Nwokoro traced how the land came to be their possession and how they agreed that the land would be shared between them and the council area, stressing that during the sharing that it was agreed that two third of the land should be given to them while one third will be given to the council.

    He said that since the agreement which was witnessed by the deputy chairman of the council, Aladunpali, who is also the chairman boundary committee of the council, the four traditional rulers that make up the four zones of the council area, the DPO and the representatives of the community led by himself, Eze Nwokoro, yet the council has refused to respect the agreement.

    The Amokwu Diala traditional ruler observed that the agreement was informed by the judgement delivered by His Lordship, Hon. Justice C. C. Jones Udeogu of the Umunneochi judicial division on 20th December. 2012.

    Eze Nwokoro said he and his people are aggrieved over the level of impunity and disregard to the rule of law which he alleged that the current council chairman, Bar Igwe has exhibited since he assumed office.

    He said, “Our farmland and produce have been destroyed by bulldozers used by the council on our parcel of land which is against the terms of agreement between us and the council administration following the judgement of the state high court at Umunneochi”.

    In his own contribution Ifeanyi Onyele the President-General (PG) of the community said that his people have been so intimidated that if they don’t protest that it could get worse and that they may no longer have any land to farm.

    Onyele said, “Our economic trees have been uprooted, which am afraid would lead to famine in our land, our area is highly underdeveloped without motor-able roads, no functional electricity, no pipe-borne water, in fact no reasonable government presence in Amokwu Diala community”.

    The PG continued, “To make the matter worse, as co-landlord of Umunneochi local government area, none of our indigenes are being considered for employment in the council as promised and stipulated in the agreement we signed”.

    He said that his people want the state government, “To leave our land for us as we don’t have any other land apart from the one being encroached on by the local government council which was given to us by our forefathers”.

    When contacted, one of the aides to the council chairman who does not want his name in print said that his boss is out of town on an official assignment and that he is not competent to speak on the issue and referred the press to the boundary committee.

  • Family seeks help to ward off land grabbers

    The Adeyoruwa family of Agunloye-Idiorogbo in Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos, is seeking the state government’s assistance to keep ‘trespassers’ off its land.

    The family’s patriarch, Chief Ishau Kolawole Ogunlana, said despite four judgments of the Ikorodu High Court which affirmed it as the owner, land grabbers had relentlessly attempted to seize the land.

    Ogunlana, 88, said the intervention of the Special Task Force on Land Grabbers had not deterredthe land grabbers.

    Nevertheless, he commended Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and the State House of Assembly, for enacting the Lagos State Property Protection Law 2016.

    Ogunlana said: “Since the law was signed by Governor Ambode, the activities of the land grabbers in the state, especially, in Ikorodu and Igbogbo reduced to the nearest minimum.

    “But recently, these so called land grabbers have returned in full force. They are currently occupying our land at Agunloye-Idiorogbo, in Igbogbo and selling same. We have reported the case to Task Force on Land Grabbers.”

    According to him, after his complaint, the land grabbers influenced his arrest and that of some of his family members.

    He said: “Despite being the customary owner of the land in question, which was also established by court judgments, I was remanded in prison custody on trumped up allegations of murder for over three months.

    “I was applying medication to my eyes, when these land grabbers and some police came to bundle me into a vehicle on the allegation that I killed someone, on April 23, 2016. I was taken to court on June 7, 2016, on a fictitious allegation, only to be discharged on September 6, 2016, following a Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) advice which cleared me of the allegations.

    “The suit numbers of the cases are IKD/16/2006, between Ogunlana and others against Bolowotan Kuti; IKD/87/2006 Kolawole Ogunlana, Raimi Elegberu against Oba J. O. Fatola, Akin Alagbala Folami and Ganiu Elegberun Akilo and others, and IKD/2/2007 between Chief Ganiu Onabanjo and others against Ishau Kolawole Ogunlana.

    “The cases were decided in our favour by Justice H. A. O. Abiru (now of the Court of Appeal).

    “Also, Justice A. O Williams, in a suit marker IKD/71/2010, decided in our favour the suit between Chief Kolawole Ogunlana and members of Adeyoruwa family against Ladele Olugbode, and others.

    “Despite all these judgments, which we have presented to the Task Force, we are still being harassed”.

  • Suspected land grabber in court for alleged forgery, trespass

    Suspected land grabber in court for alleged forgery, trespass

    The Police on Thursday arraigned a 52-year-old man, Mr Ben Emmanuel Odigie, at the Lagos Magistrate Court for alleged forgery and trespass.

    The police said the defendant, sometime in 2015 at Oregun, Ikeja, forged purchase receipts dated July 13, 1993 in the name of Mr M. O. Olota.

    He also forged a land purchase agreement in Mr Olota’s name, the police said.

    The prosecution said Odigie did so with the intent that the forged documents may be acted upon and used as genuine, whether in Lagos or elsewhere, to the prejudice of the Eshiloken Family of Oregun and other persons “who are induced to act or refrain from doing any act in the belief that the documents are genuine.”

    The police said Odigie, on the same date and place, “fraudulently used” the forged purchase receipts and the undated land purchase agreement.

    He was also accused of acting “in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace” by entering a land “which is in actual and peaceful possession of the Eshilokun family.”

    The prosecution said the alleged offence is contrary to and punishable under sections 52 and 356 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

    Odigie pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge.

    He was granted bail for N1million, with two sureties in like sum.

    The sureties must produce evidence of three years tax clearance, the magistrate ruled.

    The court ordered that Odigie be remanded in prison custody pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions.

    The case was adjourned to December 13 for trial.

  • Residents accuse police of aiding land grabbers

    Residents accuse police of aiding land grabbers

    •Task force chairman: I’m not aware case still in court

    Residents of Okomala Street and Fayemi Close in Ilasamaja, Lagos have accused the police of brutality and connivance with a company to dispossess them of their lands.

    They said that Ilasa Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Oriyomi Titilayo and operatives of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environment had at the instance of Mojec International terrorised them despite a pending suit before an Ikeja High Court.

    The residents, who said the police supervised the demolition of six buildings including those of Pastor John Onyekwere, Blessing Olasukanmi and Mrs Rebecca Obamulire in outright disregard to a court ruling that ordered that Status quo be maintained, added that landlords who protested the action were beaten, bundled into a Black Maria stationed there.

    When The Nation visited the neighbourhood on Monday, armed policemen from Taskforce were seen providing protection for artisans constructing the fence, who moved to and fro the company.

    Representatives of the family that sold lands to the landlords were also seen lamenting the injustice and illegal acts, accusing the police of aiding land grabbing.

    According to Chief Adekunle Isiba, the family never sold any land to the company, adding that efforts to make the police understand that the company was parading “forged documents” and using them illegally had failed.

    He said the police were blind to justice because they were collecting bribes from the company “since our people refused to offer them the bribe they demanded.”

    He said: “This company claims that the military government in Lagos State gave them these lands over 20 years ago. They have been lying and intimidating the people our family sold land to.

    “We sold the lands to the landlords who built their structures on them. One of them has gotten his Certificate of Occupancy (C of O). The others have approvals from the Lagos State Government. The landlords have their receipts, title documents, survey plan and other genuine documents.

    “I do not know why the police would not see that this company they are siding are land grabbers. When I came here on Saturday to see the construction the company was doing despite that we are already in court, the policemen beat me up.

    “They beat me mercilessly and pointed their guns at me that they would shoot me if I didn’t leave the place. This matter started two years ago and we have moved from the DPO to the Area Command. When we saw that the DPO was taking the side of the company, because one of our buyers, Olasukanmi refused to give her bribe of N500,000, our lawyer petitioned the Force Headquarters and a meeting was called in August where the DPO was seriously reprimanded.

    “She was told to stay out of the land and never obstruct the work that Olasukanmi was doing. She obeyed for some time but brought in Taskforce and they supervised the demolition in August.

    “It was in that August that the landlords and our family took the company to court. The matter is before Justice Olayinka at Ikeja High Court. The judge ordered that status quo be maintained pending the determination of the suit.

    “But they did not obey. They came and started constructing fence. They even erected a fence on the street, blocking half of it. We went back to the police to complain that the company was building fence even on the road.

    “The DPO did not do anything.  She told us to go to the Area Commander and when we got there, the Area Commander said the DPO told him the company has gotten judgment in their favour.

    “When did they get judgment when our case is still pending in court. We were even in court on Monday and when we told the judge that the company was building on the land, their lawyer denied that they were not the ones building.

    “We are tired of these harassment and terrorism. Are the police not supposed to be for everybody? Are they not supposed to be on the side of justice? Governor Akinwunmi Ambode should please come and rescue us from this injustice.”

    One of the landlords, Blessing Olasukanmi who said she bought her property two years ago, alleged that she was brutalised by the policemen and that she sustained arm injury.

    She said they had also threatened to deal with her if she refused to sell or relinquish her rights to the land.

    She said: “They claim that Lagos State Government gave them all the lands here many years ago. Why then are they approaching people to sell to them? Is it by force to sell? They paid one man N1,000,000 and paid another one N2,000,000. But I and many others said we are not selling our lands. Is it by force? I have spent over N15 million on my property already before they came and demolished it.

    “They are using DPO Titilayo. I want the world to hear the issues between DPO Titilayo and I. She asked me for N1,000,000 bribe when I went to her for intervention. I told her I was a single mother with children that I do not have that kind of money and that besides I have all my documents from the family.

    “She later reduced the amount to N500,000 and by that time, I had paid the family N250,000 foundation money. So, I went back to the family to demand for a refund since the DPO was asking for money. I told rhem I didn’t understand what was happening and I do not know whether it was police land.

    “It was the family that told me to write a petition against the DPO to force headquarters and I did.  That was how we went to Force Headquarters Annex in Obalende in August and she was warned to stay out of my property.

    “I have never seen the owner of the company. I do not even know her. It is DPO Titilayo that usually brought her men here to intimidate us. Government should call them to order.

    “I was not the only one that was beaten last Wednesday. They also brutalised another landlord Elijah Ita, who came out to ask for a letter authorising them to erect the fence.

    “He was injured and locked inside the Black Maria for three hours. Another landlord, Ernest Anyanwu went and begged the Taskforce people with N5,000 before they released him. They have made life unbearable for us here. Threatening to shoot anyone who questioned them.”

    Corroborating Olasukanmi, Anyanwu said the DPO was the architect of their problems, adding that Onyekwere was forced to relocate to his village and was currently battling ill health.

    “They have not touched my house yet but if all the landlords do not cry out now, they will come for ours soon. That is why all the landlords on both streets sued them. We are disappointed that the police are engaged in such shameful acts.”

    Taskforce Chairman, Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said he was not aware the parties were still in court, adding that the information he got from the DPO was that the company had obtained judgment.

    Consequently, Egbeyemi ordered his men to vacate the premises, directing that the parties should come with their documents to his office.

    DPO Oriyomi also denied any involvement in the tussle, insisting that she had been off the case since last year and had always advised parties to go to the Area Commander.

    She denied telling Egbeyemi that the company got judgment in its favour, adding that she stayed off the case as she was asked to, refuting the bribery allegations against her.

  • ‘Save us from land grabbers’

    The Provost, Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA) Ondo State, Dr Samson Odedina has appealed to all stakeholders of the institution to help save it from those he called ‘land grabbers’.

    He said the Federal Government was against those individuals who allegedly invaded the institution and destroyed properties to claim ownership of its land.

    According to Dr Odedina, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh had mandated the management of the college to vigorously pursue the case pending at the Appeal Court.

    Ogbeh, through the Director of Legal Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Thompson Olatide, decried how some notable individuals allegedly brought bulldozers to destroy FECA farms to lay claim on its land.

    He said: “There had been a land judgment against the college before the assumption of the present management. The institution was originally established on a 1,000-hectare of land, but reduced to 375 hectares by land grabbers.

    While receiving an award of’ Pacesetter in Education for African Reinaissance and Leadership, presented by Pearl Group Odedina said the land judgment which was not appealed by his predecessors led to the grabbing of another 113 hectares of the remaining land which accommodated the Provost’s House, Guest House and two water dams among other properties.

    According to him, the present management of the college instituted an appeal process immediately he assumed duty as Provost, stressing that the case is now ‘safely’ in the Appeal Court with injunction on the appellant court to stay execution pending before it.

    He appealed to security agencies to rescue the college by further preventing the destruction of its properties.

    Odedina said the development was to re-claim the college’s land that was acquired and gazetted since 1949 in the interest of the generations yet unborn.

    The Provost appreciated Chief Ogbeh, Governor Olurotimi Akeredolu and Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo for their prompt intervention into the protracted land dispute.

    He stressed that the award presented to him for outstanding services was for the entire students, members of staff of the institution and members of the management team of the college.

  • Residents storm Assembly over forceful ejection by land grabbers

    Residents storm Assembly over forceful ejection by land grabbers

    Scores of Ibeju Lekki residents yesterday stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly to protest the alleged forceful takeover of their land.

    They carried placards with inscriptions, such as, “Folami, bring peace and development, not death and destruction to your fatherland,” and “To defend our land and our people from Folami is a task that must be done,” “Ha, ha, ha, haha, Folami, you want to use us as slaves on our fatherland,”  “If we remain silent, we would be guilty of complicity.  We want peace, nothing more than peace at Oke-Ogun. Governor Ambode take note”.

    In a petition titled: “Complaint against Mufutau Sefiu Olamiji as the purported Baale of ‘Okegun Ladeseso’ and subsequent attempts by the Commissioner for Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs to upgrade him to the status of a king.’

    The petition, which is addressed to the speaker of the Assembly states in part that, “We are solicitors to Chief Samsideen Ogunkoya (the Ajagunbiada of Ibeju Land) and the people of Okegun Odofin in the Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State and on their joint instructions write this petition to your Excellency in other to forestall total breakdown of law and order in Ibeju, Lagos,” the solicitor said in the petition.

    “Chief Ismail Ogunkoya was duly nominated and appointed as the substantive Baale of Okegun Odofin in the Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area which position has been held by him with much support from our clients and with dignity till date.

    “We want the Lagos State House of Assembly to set up a panel and look into the matter. We are sitting on a keg of gun powder. The matter is in court and under the Assembly panel headed by Funmilayo Tejuoso. They promised to get back to us but they have not done so since we met with them,” he said.

    Addressing the protesters, Majority Leader Sanai Agunbiade said that a situation, where a wrong person was installed would be investigated.

    Agunbiade urged the protesters to be patient saying that the house receives so many petitions daily and that the matter has to be thoroughly debated at plenary even when the committee handling it has completed its work.

    “All of these would not make the committee dispense with the petition as quickly as the petitioners want. But ultimately the whole house would look at the petitions.

    “We have to painstakingly look at the petition and the outcome is always acceptable to the petitioners,” he said.

    He then appealed to the protesters to go back to their base peacefully.

  • Ikorodu residents flee homes over death of ‘land grabbers’

    Ikorodu residents flee homes over death of ‘land grabbers’

    RESIDENTS of Adamo in Ikorodu, Lagos, have fled their homes following Friday’s lynching of four men mistaken for ritual killers.

    Members of Araromi, Oke Gbodo, Mojoda, Eyin-Ogbe, Ipinyewa and Olorunda communities started leaving their homes shortly after the incident.

    The men were lynched at Oke Gbodo after a family accused them of being members of the notorious Badoo gang, which rapes and kills women in Ikorodu communities. The accusation was found to be false when some people identified them as land grabbers allegedly hired by one Abbey from Agunsoye community.

    Their death was said to have angered their friends and relatives, who stormed Oke Gbodo, torching houses. Among the burnt houses was that of the family which described the victims as Badoo members.

    A resident said the land grabbers were also cultists and members of the Badoo gang. He claimed that they had killed no fewer than 15 people in Adamo in two weeks.

    The government, he alleged, had abandoned them to their fate, adding that they were now providing their own security.

    He said: ‘‘Anytime these land grabbers don’t have anywhere to go to extort people, they become terrorists and attack us.  We need a police station here because none is close by. Government should make sure that a police station is situated here.

    ‘‘We appreciate Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the law against land grabbing but the law is not respected in areas like this. We sleep with one eye closed because we are the ones doing vigilante by ourselves; no police or any form of security here.’’

    The source claimed that the slain men were armed and went to a building being constructed to demand N30,000.

    He said: ‘‘I heard that the owner had initially given them money but another set came and insisted that they must collect another N30,000. But instead of reaching an agreement with the owner of the building, they started injuring people, which made residents to scream that they were Badoo.

    ‘‘Out of anger, residents ambushed and caught them. They were tortured from morning till evening before they died. Their friends came later and started burning houses, stealing and hurting people.”

    A woman, Mrs. Risikat Ajayi, said she was packing her belongings and relocating to her village.

    The killings, she said, had gone out of hands, adding that they were happening daily.

    She said: ‘‘I came back to pack my things so that I can move to my village. I heard the policemen parked their vehicles in front of my house, and so I came to remove my things.

    ‘‘They kill people here daily. Most times, they enter people’s homes and wipe off the entire family. This place is no longer safe. That’s why people have fled. Government should help us. They should put an end to these murders.

    ‘’They killed some in Aleke the other time and since two weeks we have not been sleeping. More than 10 communities have been affected by the problem. There are 22 communities here.’’

    Kola Shotunde said he came to pick some of his clothes, but stayed back when he saw policemen.

    According to him, residents were enraged when they heard they were Badoo members because of the havoc the gang had wreaked on some parts of Ikorodu.

    He said: ‘‘When people heard that they were Badoo boys, they arrested them and took them towards Araromi where houses, motorcycles and shops were set on fire by their gang. You can see for yourself that the place is deserted. We want permanent presence of security men here to put an end to the killings.’’

  • Save us from land grabbers, family tells Lagos govt

    The Igbaro Oteshade Royal Family of Oko–Addo in Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, has cried out to the Lagos State government over alleged encroachment of its landed property.

    The Baale of Addo Town, Chief Olayiwola Lawal, the head of the family, Pa Mojid Balogun and the secretary, asset management committee, Prince Malik Eshinlokun, and some lawyers had joined other family members in street protest to express their grievances over the activities of some land grabbers on the family’s land.

    The family accused a retired Brigadier –General (names withheld) of encroaching on its landed property and undue harassment of its members with policemen and soldiers.

    The family therefore appealed to the Lagos State government to save its members from these incessant harassments, as its members won’t want to take the law into their hands.

    Speaking to newsmen during the protest, Prince Malik Eshinlokun, traced the history of the property and said the family inherited about 79.994 hectares of land from their great, great grandfather, who founded the area known as Igbaro Oteshade and later became the Oba of Oko-Addoland.

    “Since then, we have been in quiet, exclusive possession of the large parcel of land and have been exercising various acts of ownership on the land by farming, building and even alienating portions of same to third parties without let or hindrance. This land has now almost been decimated by the Lagos State government by indiscriminately allocating several hectares to individuals, families and corporate bodies without due process.

    “Curiously, rather than release the land to the family by way of excision, (official gazette) the State government in two separate releases allocated fifty and sixty hectares respectively to us. Consequently, an Army Brigadier General (rtd), showed up with another allocation document which encroached on our allocations.

    ‘’All efforts to resolve this have been frustrated by the army officer who had resorted to brute force to harass and intimidate the family members as well as demolish our properties and those of our successors – in title, “ the family added.

  • Re: moving against land grabbers in Ogun

    SIR: Our attention has been caught by the article written by Mr Banji Ojewale in The Nationnewspaper edition of Friday November 25, 2016 at page 20. The Government of Ogun State under the leadership of HE Senator Ibikunle Amosun, CON FCA, the Governor, has since assumption of office worked assiduously in delivering on its social pact with all citizens of Ogun State in its Mission to Rebuild Ogun State.

    Today, by divine grace and dint of hard work together with the cooperation of the people, Ogun State is now the first choice as the preferred destination of investment and industry in Nigeria. The Administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun is conscious of the necessity of sustaining these especially against the background of current economic challenges in the interest of peace, good government and sustainable development which is the first duty of Government.

    That is why Government has acted proactively to nip in the bud menace of “Land Grabbing” which is undoubtedly antithetical and inimical to socio- economic development. In this regard,the Prohibition of Forcible Occupation of Landed Property, Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, Cultism, other Violent and Related Offences Law, 2016 which the Governor assented on Monday 14th November, 2016 represents a decent and reasonable piece of legislation as an instrument of social engineering towards achieving these goals. The Legislation does not limit itself to what has come to be known colloquially as ‘Land Grabbing’ but is some sort of ‘Mini Criminal Code’addressing frontally ancillary and associated crimes such as Armed Robbery, Cultism, Kidnapping and other ancillary violent crimes. There is in accordance with our proud Ogun Standard in the legislation, the innovation of Part V designed to protect citizens who are suspects against undue violence consistent with the tenets of civil rights and liberties consistent in accordance with the ideals of a decent democratic society which Ogun State seeks to set the pace at achieving because the present Government understands the clear correlation between human and civil rights and socio-economic development and growth generally.

    Consequently, Mr Ojewale is correct in his view that the Governor of Ogun State takes seriously its primary purpose duty which is to provide “security and welfare of the people” of Ogun State and that the impact of this Law “would lead to the resurgence of the economy and the empowerment of the citizens” which would in turn “enlarge the purse of the Government of enable it attain massive social and economic renaissance.”

    Finally, I seize the opportunity to assure  Mr Ojewale and indeed our good people of Ogun State that in accordance with the clear provisions Section 14(1) of the Law a Task Force to enforce the Law will soon be constituted, but it remains the case that notwithstanding the foregoing, the Nigeria Police Force vide the combined effect of Section 214(1) and (2)(a)&(b) Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended) and Section 4 Police Act Cap P19 LFN, 2004 as well as the Department of State Security and other internal security agencies vide Section 2 National Security Agencies Act Cap N74 LFN, 2004 enjoy and will continue to have powers to enforce the provisions of the Law generally; much in the same vein of implementing laws validly enacted by the legislatures.

     

    • Dr. Olumide Ayeni, FCIArb

    Attorney-General and Honourable Commissioner for Justice,

    Abeokuta, Ogun State

  • Community raises alarm over activities of land grabbers

    The Akinyemi Ogundimu Family of Ijere in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State has urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris, to prevail on the police especially Zone II Command to check the activities of some alleged land grabbers in the area.
    The family’s lawyer, I. O. Akinfenwa, in a petition to the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, dated March 22, 2017, said following a judgement delivered by Justice O.O. Majekodunmi, on April 15, 2015, the Akinyemi family had been adjudged as the owners of Ijere land and its environs.
    He said the judgement was sequel to suit number: AB/44/2009- filed by Rev. Olatunji Abiodun and others (Ogundimu family) against Mr Joshua Alejolowo (Orunmakinde family) in which the judge granted all reliefs of the Ogundimus and dismissed the counter claim of the Orunmakinde.
    The lawyer added: “It is important to stress that another action, suit number AB/65/2009 – Mr. Joshua Alejolowo vs Solomon Ezekiel and others initiated by the Orunmakindes against the Ogundimus was also dismissed while the other one, suit number: AB/71/2009- Royal Q2 Properties Limited vs Rev Olatunji Abiodun and others instituted by one of the privies of the Orunmakindes was equally dismissed on April 15, 2015, by Justice Majekodunmi.”
    But he said sometime in December last year, the Ogundimus were shocked that some thugs were planning to forcibly take over the Ijere land.