Ibadan estate residents protest alleged takeover of 30 homes by land grabbers
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Residents of Harmony Estate in Oluyole, Ibadan, have petitioned the Oyo State Commissioner of Police over the alleged takeover of more than 30 houses and several undeveloped plots by suspected land grabbers, and are seeking the intervention of Governor Seyi Makinde and the Olubadan.
Residents of Harmony Estate, Oluyole, in Ido Local Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State, have protested over the activities of suspected land grabbers, claiming the development has rendered some residents homeless and left more than 30 houses and several undeveloped plots of land in dispute.
The residents submitted a petition to the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, at the Command Headquarters in Eleyele and called for the intervention of Governor Seyi Makinde, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, and the police command. They said the intervention had become necessary to prevent a breakdown of law and order and to restore peace to the estate.
One of the affected property owners, Sunny Gold, urged stakeholders to prevail on the suspected land grabbers to stop what he described as the forceful takeover of people's legitimate properties. He said anyone claiming ownership of the affected properties should approach the court and present evidence of ownership rather than resorting to violence, citing the case of a property owner who obtained a favourable judgment but was still facing attempts to take over the property.
“Land grabbers are willfully destroying our properties, and trying to forcefully take over our land,” Gold said. “The matter was reported initially. We came first with a paper from the court. So we gave it to our lawyer and while we were waiting for them to give us a date, the invaders just came, and started padlocking our gates. They came with Police, arrested some landlords and later released them. We don’t have peace again in our community.”
Elder Boluwaduro Famiyesi, one of the first settlers in the community who said he had spent over 30 years in the estate, urged the alleged invaders to allow the courts to resolve the dispute rather than taking the law into their own hands, and called on the government and relevant authorities to protect residents. Elders Ezekiah Oyedeji and Prince Samuel Adeyemi described the recent activities as worrisome and appealed to the government and other stakeholders to intervene before the matter escalates.