By Our Correspondent
Residents of Igbokuta, Community in Ikorodu Local government area of Lagos state have raised the alarm over invasion of their community by some people suspected to be land grabbers.
The residents while protesting against the act yesterday, called on the State government and the law enforcement agencies to wade into the issue before they wreck greater havoc on the Community.
Speaking, the Baale of Igbokuta, Alhaji Nasiru Olayiwola alleged that one Michael Akinrele and Benson Nicholas who are not indigenes of their village, connived with a popular real estate firm to unlawfully take over vast acres of their land and even allegedly demolished some houses and fences in the town.
It would be recalled that some weeks ago, the residents of the community had staged a peaceful protest to kick against the invasion of their expanse of land by some gun wielding thugs hired by suspected land grabbers appealing to Gov Babajide Sanwoolu and the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu to come to their aid.
The Baale Igbokuta, Alhaji Nasiru Olayiwola, while speaking to journalists noted that there have been reported cases of humiliation and harassment of indigenes by land speculators and grabbers to relevant authorities but nothing has been done.
Alhaji Olayiwola, who called for government intervention against the brutal activities, alleged that the speculators invaded their community with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons with which they injured indigenes of the Community, who tried to resist them.
According to him, they came into the community through some saboteurs in the community and lamented that efforts made to stop them from the illegal acts have been abortive.
He noted that the indigenes of the community have protested to the palace for their inability go to farms due to the constant harassments.
The land grabbers who invaded the community allegedly involved included Michael Akinrele, Bisoye, Captain Joseph Adebiyi and others.
He revealed that "there was never a time anyone of us sold any portion of our land to the estate agents. We just saw them taking over our lands with erection of a big signboard. They even came with police and soldiers to intimidate us and send us packing from our lands. There was a time we wrote the government on this act of the popular estate agents led by Michael Akinrele but we have received no reply up till now.
“We are using this opportunity to call on the governor of our state, His Excellency Babajide Sanwoolu, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu, the state Commissioner of police, CP Hakeem Odumosu and the Oba of Imota Kingdom to deliver us from this criminal acts of Michael Akinrele and his cohorts.
Also, two other leaders of Igbokuta community in Ikorodu area of Lagos State also maintained that Michael Akinrele and his cohorts are nothing but a team of land grabbers who are all out to forcefully take what never belonged to them.
The duo alleged that Michael Akinrele and cohorts had always insisted that nothing could hinder them from taking over the lands belonging to the villagers as they are ready use political powers and other connections within the government to frustrate any attempt by the villagers to reclaim their lands.
Meanwhile, the Baale of Igbokuta community have also pleaded with the governor of the state and the IGP, Mohammed Adamu to come to the aid of the villagers and deliver them from the so-called Michael Akinrele, the land grabber who is hell bent on taking over our properties at all cost.
The Baale also condemned Michael Akinrele and his cohorts for its arm twisting tactics being deployed to take over the land of the people of Igbokuta community saying that the villagers were however ready to resist all these illegal acts calling on Gov Babajide Sanwoolu to please set up machinery in motion to put a stop to all the antics of these landgrabbers.
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