From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin
Policemen shot into the air and fired teargas canisters to stop those trying to prevent the Kwara State Government officials from demolishing the buildings on the recovered Ilorin land owned by the late Dr. Olusola Saraki.
The government last week revoked the Certificate of occupancy of the land saying it was “spuriously allocated,” Whereas it was originally designated for the construction of a secretariat and a parking lot for the civil service clinic.
But former Senate President Bukola Saraki, said the Kawar State Government was on vengeance mission to take his father’s property. He drew a red line with the government promising to explore all legal means to recover the Government Reservation Area land.
The government moved in its heavy duty equipment at dawn yesterday and demolished some structures erected by the late politician on a part of the land known as Ile-Arugbo. (old people’s house)
Ahead of the demolition which commenced around 3.30am, hundreds of elderly women and loyalists of the Saraki political dynasty mobilised to the scene from 9pm on Wednesday.
A group, the Saraki Legacy Forum (SLF), claimed that four attempts had been made by a team directed by the governor to pull down the structures.
Read Also: Justice shall prevail, says Saraki as groups protest demolition
It was learnt that human and vehicular movements in and around the Ilofa Road, GRA Ilorin site of the land were brought to a standstill by about 50 policemen drafted to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
A GRA resident said they started hearing gunshots and fired teargas around 3am on Thursday by the security operatives to scare away the protesters
He said: “We started seeing people believed to be loyalists of the Saraki family in the evening of Christmas Day. But before we went to bed on Wednesday, we started seeing security men in our neighbourhood but by 3.30am or so, we began to hear gunshots.
“There was tension in the area. We were really were scared.”
At the site of demolition yesterday, our reporter saw a damaged motorcycle and a tricycle said to have been brought by people who carried out the demolition. They were reportedly damaged by those protesting the demolition.
The state government defended the action, saying the demolition was carried out “to reclaim the land in the spirit of what it was originally meant for.”
Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, Mr Rafiu Ajakaye, said in a statement that “The property being reclaimed by the state government is not Saraki’s ancestral home as being portrayed in some section of the media.
“The Saraki’s ancestral home is in Agbaji, while the property we are talking about is in the heart of Government Reserved Area (GRA), Ilorin.
“The government position is that the land was (and still is) a public property originally meant for the construction of a secretariat, a civil service clinic and parking lots.
“However, ownership of the property was spuriously transferred to a private firm and for commercial purpose without the firm paying a kobo to government or obtaining the Certificate of Occupancy.”
Commissioner for Communications, Alhaji Murtala Olanrewaju said government had already commenced physical reclamation of the land.
Olanrewaju said in a statement that the reclamation started in the early hours of Thursday to avoid needless confrontation.
“Attempts by some persons to provoke government’s agents on lawful duty were resisted by the security agents who exercised highest level of restraint and professionalism,” he said.
He said government was never served court papers on the matter as claimed by some people.
“We state that no court paper has been served as at the time the government took steps to preserve what lawfully belongs to the people,” he added.
Olanrewaju urged the people of the state to remain calm, peaceful and be guided only by facts of the matter. “While the administration is focused on restoring sanity to the state after years of barefaced impunity, we will do so within the limit of the law.”
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