By Adekunle Williams
Some Lagos communities have staged a peaceful protest calling on the Inspector-General of Police to conclude all land grabbing cases especially at Ibeju-Lekki, Ikorodu and others before his office.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters on Tuesday, their lawyer, Mr Oladotun Hassan, said some identified land grabbers had been intimidating the livelihood of innocent Nigerians in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protesters, whose properties were being demolished carried different placards with different inscriptions.
The inscriptions are “Gov. Babajide, Save our Soul from Land grabbers”, ” I and my family have been rendered homeless, please come to our aid”.
Hassan said this land grabbing cases was a matter of necessity and demand immediate effect urgent action against these land grabbers that had been trespassing on the land of these innocent Nigerians .
The lawyer said communities such as Ikota Housing Estate in Lekki Ajah VGC axis of Lagos State where massive illegal demolition of houses is currently ongoing.
He added that there was illegal forceful invasion and displacement of the one time helpless people of Maroko displaced and relocated in 1991 to Ikota, Jakande and Epe by the then Military Governor of Lagos State Raji Rasaki.
The lawyer said there was another land encroachment similar case in Ikorodu Scheme 02 belonging TOS Benson Family, and consented to all the community occupants on negotiated terms.
According to him, Our demand is predicated on the fact that these land owners had suffered a lots of ill-treatments in the hands of the land grabbers.
Hassan said the protest was necessary because they could no longer continue to die in silence in this evil trade of forceful invasions and criminal trespass to people’s landed properties unimpeded.
He noted that these communities had precipitated their heightened frustrations and protest to the Inspector-General of Police in order to jointly stop this evil menace once and for all.
“We also call on Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come to the urgent rescue of all affected victims and vulnerable Nigerians residing in Lagos State.
“This is as a matter of necessity and demand immediate effect urgent action against these dreaded land grabbers that had been trespassing on the land of these innocent Nigerians .
“Most of whom are used to forcefully invade and execute unlawful permanent possession of absolute control and ownership, sales, management and other illicit activities and wanton criminality.”
Hassan wished to alert all the police commands in the state to conclude all pending investigations in all his police formations in Lagos State.
According to him, we are appealing to the state police formation to commence onward Independent due diligent investigation and prosecution at a court of competent jurisdiction accordingly.
He appreciated the office of the Inspector-General of Police for his exemplary leadership style since his assumption of office, most especially the recent declaration of some notorious Land Grabbers wanted by the IGP Monitoring Unit.
Hassan said if nothing urgent is done to rescue the situation, the suspected land grabbers were ready to wreck further havoc in the state which could snowball into high level of Insecurity in the state. (NAN)