The Christian Association of Nigeria, Oyo Zone, has expressed dissatisfaction over the alleged sales of its land at the Ayetoro Scheme in Oyo town by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi.
The Christian body, during a visit to the State Criminal Investigation Department at Iyaganku, Ibadan on Tuesday, insisted that the monarch must release the land to the church, saying it had legitimate right on it. The land, measuring 96 plots (approximately 16 acres), was said to have been bought by the Oyo Zonal CAN from the former Oyo Local Government Council authorities before the old council was divided into four in the 90s.
The said land now falls within the jurisdiction of Atiba Local Government Council of Oyo State.
The aggrieved body, led by its executive council members, had recently embarked on a peaceful rally against the alleged sale of the land by the Alaafin.
The Director of State Issues and Social Welfare, CAN, Bishop Daniel Oluwajimade, said the land in question should not have generated any controversy since all documents point to the fact that the property was legitimately acquired by the Oyo Zonal CAN.
Oluwajimade said, “The matter is very simple and very strong. Almost about 16 years ago, the Christian Association of Nigeria in Oyo zone bought 16 acres of land from the local government council in Oyo. They have been paying the yearly tenement rate to the local government council since it was bought without defaulting.
“They discovered that there was encroachment on the land and they began to pursue the matter.
“Eventually, they discovered that it was the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi that encroached on the land. Today, the Police in Oyo town invited the CAN coordinator in Atiba to Atiba Police Station. Eventually, the case was transferred to Iyaganku in Ibadan.
“The land is not owned by the CAN in Atiba Local Government Council Area but the entire CAN in Oyo town. We in the state executive were in a meeting when we heard of the matter, so we all came. We work in team and when there is an issue that relates to CAN, regardless of anywhere in the 33 local government councils of the state, we are all concerned.
“Our demand is that Oba Adeyemi should off his hands from that land. It is not his land.
The land belongs to CAN. The zone paid for it. Nobody, no matter the level, has the legal right to claim that the land belongs to him. The only entity that can withdraw the right is the local government but there is no basis for that since CAN has not defaulted till date.”
Reverend Ojo Olakunle, CAN Chairman, Oyo East Local Government; Reverend Israel Adekunle Taiwo, former Chairman, Ministers’ Fellowship, Oyo Zone; Pastor Samuel Oluwawole and Pastor Sunday Afolabi, Chairman, Land Committee, Oyo Zonal CAN, said the land being encroached upon by the monarch belongs to CAN having been legitimately procured from government by the Christian body.
However, the Alaafin, in a letter made available to journalists in Ibadan on Tuesday, said contrary to the allegation by the Oyo Zonal CAN, the said land, and the adjoining property, belong to the king.
Alaafin’s letter read in parts, “Ordinarily, it is not in the practice or tradition of Oyo Palace from time immemorial to engage in public controversy with any sector of Oyo Community, especially on religious matters.
“For the record, the land hitherto named as Ayetoro Scheme is erroneously referred to as the entire area is known as ‘Gbofin’ which incidentally is one of the ancestral stool land of the Alaafin with approximately 1,118 plots as against the 96 plots claimed to have been owned by CAN; and Alaafin has been exercising ownership and in so doing, some parts of the land were allocated to members of the royal family without any consideration and have been inhabitated by them or their allottees for a reasonably long period of time with over 2,000 buildings without disturbance from any quarters including Atiba Local Government.
“It is also on records that it was through the instrumentality of the Alaafin that such reputable and highly revered religious bodies like Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, Catholic and of late, Pentecostal churches were provided with auspicious land settlements in Oyo. This magnanimity goes to the extent of the Alaafin providing space for Sunday Church service in His palace.
“However, it is surprising that not done with this misleading and malicious publication, some people, defying protocol put in place by the government to check the spread the COVID-19 pandemic took to major streets of Oyo, protesting over same matter.
“To allege that the Alaafin of Oyo is not only trespassing or attempting to grab the said land is not only absurd but alien. Can the owner of the land be a trespasser or grabber of his own property? It looks not only absurd but paradoxical for a group who supposedly parade themselves as godly people to be involved in fraudulent claims over land that was not only illegally transferred to them by Atiba Local Government as claimed, but also fraught with inconsistencies as against the Alaafin who had surveyed and registered the same land since 1996.
“It is equally interesting that the so-called self-styled owners to the land have no certificate of occupancy or any law of survey on the land.”
