Some aggrieved residents of Ojobo community, a suburb of Ibadan in Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State, at the weekends, stormed the Alarere residence of the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, in protest against the alleged demolition of properties worth N23m belonging to them.
The affected residents of the community, led by Adetunji Ahmed, Muyideen Lawal and Ismaila Sabitu, Chairman, Secretary and leader respectively, accused the state government of the illegal acquisition of their ancestral land, 40 years ago, through the Oyo State Housing Corporation without converting it into productive use and without granting them access to the land.
The community leaders said, “They cajoled our fathers that the land would be utilized beneficially to the advantage of their children and the unborn generations, but nothing of such happened. Out of frustration, we started using part of the land.
“It was last year that government came to clear the land under the pretense of opening up the area in order to make it unsafe as a hide-out for criminal elements which gladdened our hearts. They came back this year and started pegging the land for construction. They demolished eight structures met on the land which were valued at N23 million without serving us any notice.”
Balogun sympathized with the protesters, noting that the hardship being experienced in the country called for caution and restraints. He urged the agencies of government to relate mutually with members of the public in a bid to preserve the fragile peace being enjoyed.
He said, “There is pent-up anger in the land and any little thing can ignite the already charged atmosphere capable of rupturing the fragile peace we all seem to be enjoying.”
Appealing to the protesters to remain calm while their grievances were being brought to the attention of government, he said, “The law frowns against self-help and that’s why I have to commend you for the peaceful disposition just as I assure you that government’s attention would be drawn to your plight.”
However, the Housing Corporation in Oyo State has faulted the claim by the community, saying that they were economical with the truth in order to gain the sympathy of thepublic.
The corporation stated that the community members had used up the allotted set-back while also selling the un-allotted portion to unsuspecting members of the public.
An officer of the Corporation, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, further explained that the aggrieved community members had once taken the state government to court on the matter but lost.
“Now, they have resulted to cheap blackmail. The state government, which is the owner of the land, has sold it to the Federal Housing Authority and the authority cannot be stopped from accessing the land that it had paid for,’’ the official said.
