Residents of Otto Awori Jobiti in Otto Awori Local Development Area,Lagos have sent a save our soul message to the Lagos State Governor
Akinwunmi Ambode by staging a peaceful protest to express their grievance
over alleged attempt by the state government to use a private company to
demolish and forcefully acquire their properties.
Community leader of the area, High Chief Saturday Balogun Ilosu, who also
doubles as the Ase of Ijanikin kingdom who addressed newsmen during the
protest, stated that the tussle over the affected properties had been on
for many years before it was resolved in favour of Eleso family of Ijanikin
by the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos.
He alleged that it was after the court verdict that the idea of government
acquisition was mooted by some selfish property consultant, in order to
acquire the land at all costs.
A signboard was mounted in the community claiming a ‘purported
resuscitation of Otto Awori Jobiti Residential Scheme, Ijanikin by Lagos
State government in Partnership with CMB Building maintenance and
investment company Ltd’.
Chief Ilosu said based on this action, the community filed a suit against
the State government, its attorney general and commissioner for justice and
the development company among others before a State High Court.
He said the suit was still pending before the Lagos State High court, with
suit number M/1070/2010 and the court was yet to make any pronouncement but
the respondents had already infringing on the right of the applicants.
The community leader said despite the pending suit, certain property
developer had already marked their houses for demolition and also
threatened the peace of the area.
He said the people of the area now lived in panic due to the day- to- day
threats being issued by the developer, claiming that they had been in
possession of the land which was passed down from generations for many
decades without government interference.
The residents of area, who displayed placards of different inscriptions to
show their grievance, appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to come to
their rescue and not to allow a selfish property developer reap from where
it did not sow.
They alleged that the developer has commenced demolition of their
properties despite a pending suit over the subject matter.
They are asking the court to determine whether the defendants can
forcefully acquire the claimants land under the Land Use Act without first
affording them an opportunity of beign heard on the acquisition as required
by Section 33 (1) of the 1979 Constitution or Section 36 (1) of the 1999
Constitution as the case may be.
They are seeking an order setting aside the 3rd Defendants letter dated 13th
October 2010 or any other instrument by which the Defendants purpoted to
have acquired the claimants land or committed the claimants land under a
Global Acquisition.
They are seeking an injunction restraining the Defendants, whether by
themselves their agents, private auditor, representatives from interfering
in any manner whatsoever with the claimants rights to , or otherwise
preventing the claimants from exercising their rights over the land more
particularly described and delineated in survey plan number LAG77/2010/271.
They are also seeking damages in the sum of Five Million Naira Only for
the unlawful act of the Defendants in interfering with the Claimants rights
to the land.
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