SOME residents of Igbode and Osun-Egbado in Mowo, Badagry area of Lagos State, weekend, urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene in the planned demolition of buildings in the area.
They lamented that in March, some land grabbers invaded the communities with cutlasses and deadly weapons, asking them to vacate the land.
A customary landowner, Imam Abdul-Kabir Tijani, alleged that the land grabbers in their hundreds had invaded Igboge and Osun-Egbado communities alongside some security personnel.
He said: “We have been living in peace all these years until March 4, when the land grabbers invaded the communities, chasing people and writing strange things on buildings and Schools.
“They wrote “BD/42/2010 Possession Takeover 4/3/2024 by Court Order. They are putting padlocks on people’s houses telling them that they have taken over the land in the community. They are asking landlords to pay N4m or have their buildings demolished.
“After investigation, we learned that Oba Olamilekan James, the Aholu of Kweme kingdom, said his father owns the land, having bought the property in 1975.”
Also speaking, a landlord, Alhaji Jinadu Adeshina, said: “The thugs even marked Mowo Model Junior School for demolition, and ever since they have been threatening the students and teachers by interrupting academic activities in the School. The school had to be closed down on Friday due to news of the demolition exercise and the interruptions of academic activities in the School cannot continue like that as it would affect the students.
“They sent another letter on Thursday, threatening to start the planned demolition by Friday, May 10, 2024, as a result of which we quickly petitioned the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and the Chief Judge of Lagos by way of SOS through our lawyer since the matter is in Court already. We are appealing to Sanwo-Olu to come and help us on the matter, we can no longer sleep with two eyes closed now.”
