OLORUNDARE ENIMOLA, Lagos
Community members of Iro Town in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have lamented the attempted blockage of a key economic road to over 200 Sand excavation sites, Farmlands, Companies, Villages, Fishing places and Houses of hapless indigenes of Iro.
The residents of the community alleged that one Alhaji (name withheld) used thugs and violent means to harass the community in hope that they would be intimidated by the presence of the thugs and give up the only road that leads into their community.
These allegations were made during a peaceful protest by the affected people covered by DAILY INDEPENDENT on Wednesday 18, they complained bitterly over what they claimed to be a great injustice against the peace loving people of Odo-Yepe area of Iro Town.
According to Chief Mohammed Aro, Chairman of Awodi Oke Dredging Community, alleged, "The accuse, whose name is withheld bought 200 plots of land from Shittu Toriola at the entrance point into our Community and he decided to fence the land leading into the community, though we heard from the grapevine he is trying to do that, but we warned him against it, yet he did not heed to us but was making frantic attempts to erect the fence.
"The most annoying was his approach to making the fence which was to be carried out in the night. He almost succeeded but for the timely intervention of the community people. We were suddenly notified at about 1am on Tuesday 17, December by Vigilante officials patrolling the community about the fence being erected. We all had to rush out in our numbers to ensure that they did not succeed in their attempts" Aro added.
Corroborating the allegation, Hon. Bililiaminu Mojeed, a resident of Mapa, one of the affected areas of the town, said, "I was born here but left for career reasons and afterwards returned since 1986 and this is the road we've been using to and fro. Aside my village there are farm settlements, Companies and other businesses as proceed from here."
Mrs Mary Imasuen said she bought 2 plots in 2021 from the family of Aliu Olusunmade a.k.a Baba Gazette, the land owners and was given a family receipt and other documents, saying "since buying the land I used it for displaying and selling items with plans to build a befitting structure anytime soon, but it's part of the land sold to Alhaji Tajudeen and now fenced."
Kubiratu Wahab, one of the women who accosted the fence builders narrated how they stopped the fence builders at night, "we were woken by the alert of Vigilante officials who informed us of a fence being built nocturnally by a group of people on the road leading to their Community and would want to hear from them why the road is being built. Myself and other 20 women rushed to the scene and we had to stop the attempt to construct the french intended to block the road into our community".
In response to these allegations, the accused party said, "the community were unfortunately misrepresenting the facts and distorting the truth, stressing that the 15 plots of land in question was legally acquired after several years of showing interest to buy it but was denied till recently. And I got all the necessary papers in respect to it.
"The so called road was never the statutory road, there are two other ones, until it was paved by the contracting firm handling the Papa to Shagamu Interchange Highway some few months back, paving the shift from the original road to the sites and other places in the area, moreover the temporary road is part of the land contained in the survey design sold to me.
"As a dredger, anytime I buy a dredging site, I'll fence it, building infrastructures for workers, security personnel, dredging equipments and other administrative offices.
"To ensure that peace reign between me and these community members I have decided to help them construct one of the alternate road, including the construction of a Culvert to make it motorable, moreso the allegation that there are over 200 businesses and settlements in the area is also not correct" He said.
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