By Michael Adesanya/Abeokuta
The Traditional Ruler of Owode-Egba in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Kolawole Sowemimo on Sunday raised alarm over alleged invasion of eight of his communities by suspected land grabbers.
The monarch made this outcry at his palace in Owode while speaking with journalists.
He lamented that the landgrabbers, known to be influential in the society, are also fond of writing frivolous petitions against the indigenes of the affected communities to put them in trouble with the police.
The monarch, accompanied by his chiefs and residents of communities such as Malaka, Abule-Oba, Adejonrin, Omu Ajonire, Erufu Oke, Base,Sonde and Ate, said the landgrabbers were in the process of sacking the villagers. They passionately called on the State Government to come to their rescue.
He revealed that the latest plot of the landgrabbers was a petition written against five elders of the villages, which prompted the Ogun State Police Command to invite them for interrogation over phanthom allegation of possessing guns.
The monarch said the invitation from the police, said to be a fallout of the landgrabbers’ petition, has reference number CR 3000/OGS/X/AO/VOL….and dated January 15,2020 asked the followings: ’Sarafa Sunday, Segun Adelani, Ganiyu Fidimaye, Taofeek Sanusi and Samson Oyede to report to the police headquarters on Wednesday.
The invitation letter, signed by Wale Abass, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department reads : “This office is investigating a case which your name featured prominently.
‘In view of this, therefore you are kindly invited to report to the office of the undersigned through O/C SEC.DC CID on 22nd January, 2020 by 10.00am. Accept the assurances of the Command’s best regards, please’, the invitation – which did not give any details – said.
The invitees, while narrating their individual experiences, alleged one of the indigenes of Malaki village, identified as Jamiu as the arrowhead of their plight. They claimed Jamiu connived with the landgrabbers – allegedly led by one Talonile – to take over several hectares of land in the said communities.
The victims say they had reported the ugly development to the traditional ruler of the town, who in response secured audience with the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who had promised to look into the issue as at the time of filing this report.
An indigene of one of villages, Segun Adelani recalled that trouble with the landgrabbers started some years ago, when some of the indigenes were arrested by police from the CID, Panti in Lagos.
Another resident, Sarafa Sunday corroborated the statement; adding that before the latest invitation, some of them had been detained at Eleweran and Panti police stations in Abeokuta and Lagos respectively.
Similarly, Samson Oyede said the push to take over the villages by the landgrabbers started 2011, when Jamiu connived with the bandits to forcefully take over the communities founded by their fore fathers.
An 80- year- old victim of the brutality of the alleged land speculators, Ganiyu Fidimaye said the bandits had being thorns in the flesh of the communities, using guns and other dangerous weapons, adding that at a point they were taken to police headquarters in Abuja.