By Job Osazuwa
Landlords and other property owners occupying Havilah Estate in Oke Aro/Matogun, Ifo Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State, have cried out to the state government and the authorities concerned to rescue them from the hands of the Abraham Kembi family.
The aggrieved residents said that they were shocked when, on August 3, 2021, a team of security agents and other strange faces numbering about 40 besieged the area to forcefully take possession of the land. They claimed that the enforcement was done in commando style, threatening to descend on anyone who resisted their action.
Their worries were that many of the residents were locked inside their houses by the uninvited guests. They described the Kembis’ action as infringement on their right and intimidation.
The Kembi family, who said that they have always been the rightful owners of the land, and have been given a favourable judgment in court, went to the area that fateful day and padlocked most of the gated houses and business premises. “Possession taken, HCT/231/06” was boldly marked on all the walls.
The family, through its lawyer, Adejare Kembi, opined that it was only adhering to a court judgment in its favour. The lawyer said the occupants could not deny that they knew about the case that lingered for years.
He told the reporter on telephone that he had challenged the occupants of the area to sue the people that sold the land to them, but they refused. According to him, it was a clear case of the occupants buying land from the wrong hands.
When Daily Sun visited the area on August 5, there were padlocks sealing many gates. Some of the landlords said they have been parking their vehicles on the street, explaining that they had gone to their places of work when the Kembis visited with the enforcement team. Therefore, they could not access their premises.
It was gathered that the Oyekan and Kembi families had taken the case to court some years ago. The case lingered till June 2020, when the Oyekan finally lost at appeal.
The residents have protested against what they called injustice and intimidation. While demonstrating on August 5, they pleaded with the governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to intervene in the matter.
Those who spoke with the reporter also raised the alarm that the feuding families might have colluded in order to get more money from the innocent occupants of the area. They maintained that such moves have become the new tradition among families who have no land to sell anymore.
The property owners, comprising men and women, chanted save-our-soul songs and displayed placards with different inscriptions. Some of the inscriptions read: “Save our souls in Havilah Estate”; “We say no to land-grabbers,” “We are under threat of eviction by Kembi family,” “Ogun State government please come and deliver us from our oppressors.”
They, however, vowed not to fold their arms and watch their years of labour being cornered by some persons.
One of the affected house owners, Mrs. Christiana Olajiga, said she was yet to recover from the psychological trauma she suffered on that fateful day. She said she was cocksure that there was no responsible court or any government institution that would support people being locked in their apartments in the name of enforcing a judgment.
“We were around that Tuesday afternoon when some policemen and hoodlums came. They came with full force. They told us to be thankful to God that they didn’t come with caterpillars to demolish our buildings.
“We want Ogun State government and other appropriate authorities to wade into the matter before it gets out of hand. We are law-abiding citizens and cannot resort to violence in defending what rightfully belongs to us,” she said.
The chairman of Havilah Estate, Mr. Olukunle Olaitan, said some owners of the affected buildings have lived in the area for more than 25 years. He said he could not fathom why the Kembi family did not challenge the Oyekan family decades ago when unsuspecting members of the public were purchasing the said plots of land.
He recalled how the residents pooled resources to bring development to the area. He stated that, through self-help, the community mapped out road network, purchased concrete poles and new transformer for electrification. And members of the community had always lived in peace before now.
He lamented that, since the Kembis showed up from nowhere, everyone in the area now lives in fear of what action they might take next.
“We are pleading with the government to come to our aid. We are a peace-loving community,” he said.
Also lamenting the manner in which the Kembi family stormed the community is Mrs. Jimoh Aliu-Iwalesin. She said some of them were already aged, without the strength to start all over again.
On his part, a landlord, Mr. Oludipe Victor, who is believed by the community to have a better understanding of the genesis of the crisis, said that the land that the Kembi family was claiming belonged to the the Oyekans right from the outset.
However, countering the community’s claims of harassment and intimidation, the Kembi’s family lawyer said there was no iota of truth in the allegations. In fact, he said that he deliberately invited journalists to cover the “possession taken exercise.” He added that the Kembi family went to the community to legally reclaim what was stolen from them.
Going down memory lane, he said the land occupied by residents of Havilah Estate was bought by the Kembi family in 1918. He said that the family also obtained a layout as approved by Ogun State government in 2000.
“The land-grabbers, Oyekan family, who sold it to us in 1918, later encroached on the land. We reported to the police.
“The Oyekan family later took us to court. We won in 2013. They appealed against the judgment. We won again at the appeal in June 2020. Apart from the injunction, we went to the court to ask for possession and we were given possession in December 2020.
“We wrote the necessary letter to police headquarters. They investigated the judgment and discovered that it was as we stated it. On August 3, they gave us possession in accordance with the law.
“Ordinarily, we are supposed to lock up everywhere and not allow entry. But because people are there, we locked up the main gate. We told them that it was a sign for the people to leave because, when we go there again, we will lock up everywhere. If you are declared a trespasser, you are not supposed to be in possession in anyway,” Adejare explained.
He maintained that the occupants were not victimized. He stated that the people could not also claim ignorance of the legal tussle that lasted many years.
His words: “Let the community come out and show me one person that was harassed.”
He said it was high time everyone put a stop to such an embarrassing situation that put Nigeria and investors in bad light. He said that was why he advised the buyers, after he (Kembi) won at the High Court, to sue the Oyekan family, against leaving the occupants to lick their wounds. He said that was one of the ways to put an end to such the menace.
