Magodo Residents Task LASG, IG over Harassment by Officers, Land Grabbers

The Magodo Residents Association (MRA) in Magodo Phase 2, Lagos, has tasked the Lagos State government and the Inspector General of Police to secure their lives and properties over incessant harassment by the police and land grabbers.

The MRA Chairman, Mr. Bajo Osinubi alongside other representatives of the estate made this call at a press briefing held in Lagos.

MRA’s call is coming after “some personnel of the Force Criminal and Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon alongside some alleged thugs disrupted activities in the estate on Wednesday, November 25”.

It said the invasion was connected to a court case between the Adeyiga family and the state government, who rejected the 548 plots of land by the state government.

The chairman said: “It was with great shock residents received the treatment meted out by law enforcement agents of the government led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police from FCID Alagbon. They were accompanied by thugs and they entered the estate in two vans on Wednesday 25 November, 2020.”

Osinubi, who accused the operatives and their thugs of causing hysteria among residents, noted that the operatives drove their vans round the estate and attempted to arrest workers.

“They accessed various construction sites, harassed workers and arrested all found on the sites. But we calmed the situation, and they left,” he added.

While noting that the invasion led to the total lockdown of the estate, Osinubi said out of panic some residents thought there was an attempted kidnap or robbery.

The chairman, who said he has lived in the estate for about 13 years now, acknowledged that while they are aware of the case between the Adeyiga and the state government, they are not aware of any entitlement in Magodo.

“We are aware that a certain Adeyiga family obtained judgment in court against the Lagos State government, and writ of execution to enforce the said judgment in respect of certain numbers of plots within the Shangisha scheme.

“We are not aware that any plot of land has been allocated to them by the Lagos State government within Magodo GRA phase 2 for them to be entitled to lay claim to any particular house or land within Magodo GRA.

“The writ of execution obtained by Adeyiga family has been challenged in court and same has been set aside by honourable Justice R.I.B Adebiyi of the high court of Lagos state appeal,” he clarified.

“We call on the Inspector General of Police, and the Nigeria Police authority not to allow the police force be rubbished and/or misled the Adeyiga family in an attempt to perpetuate their illegal and unlawful act and take possession of innocent people’s properties,” he pleaded.

The MRA chairman also called on the state government to come to their aid and live up to its responsibility of securing the lives and properties of “reputable, and responsible people of Magodo”.

Osunibi described Magodo residents as law abiding, who have contributed immensely to the development of Magodo.

Others present at the briefing were the General Secretary, Ade Aroloye; the Legal Adviser, Tunji Abdulhameed; and the Estate Manager, Ago Solademi.