By Christopher Oji
Residents of Igbokuta/Gberigbe in Ikorodu area of Lagos have cried to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and the Police to rescue them from the hands of a notorious land grabber and his agents.
According to the family of Ajala Bello, who claims the ownership of the land, the notorious land grabber has been making life unbearable for them in the area. A family source said the latest attack on the community was on February 18, when the notorious land grabber and his groups unleashed terror in the community
It was alleged that the suspect, along with some hoodlums and cultists in the area have for the past years been harassing the land owners in a determined effort to take over their land.
According to Aremu Wahab Ajala-Bello, “the disputed piece of land belongs to Bello Ajala, father to my great grand-father – Wahab Bello Ajala. He said Bello was the first man to migrate to Igbokuta in 1826 and was a farmer and great hunter whose farming business transcended to surrounding villages.
“His right over this piece of land was established through a judgement obtained in 1913 which defined in clear terms his territorial borderline and ownership of the vast area of land.”
“But trouble started in 2006, barely 10 years after the death of my father, Wahab Ajala-Bello.
He alleged that their efforts to settle there was met with serious threats and stiff resistance from these hoodlums, led by Akinrele, Sidikat, Selimat, and Basirat, with the help of an alleged notorious warlord, who they realized started selling their land in their absence. “Those people are strangers who are trying to subvert our property for selfish aim. A lot of our ancestral houses have been demolished by these people. Our community is presently under siege and several lives including that of my wife have been lost to this battle.
“The community has been living in fear of attacks. Nobody is safe here anymore. Most times, the thugs would surface from nowhere and start shooting sporadically to scare people away. So many victims of their attacks have fled the community for fear of further molestation or being killed. Our women are being raped. In fact, we can count at least five rape victims. We call on the Lagos State government to please help us and save us from the hands of evil people he said.
A resident, with scar on his face, explained to Daily Sun that he sustained serious injury when some thugs used by the alleged land grabber, deliberately rammed into their car in the early hours of the day.
“I was sent on an errand by my boss early this morning, but while returning on my bike, I spotted a car coming on high speed, facing me, I quickly stopped by the side of the road. The car driver initially slowed down too, but all of a sudden, he accelerated and rammed the car on me and sped off. I spotted the passengers and drivers to be thugs of the dreaded land grabber.”