Land Grabbing : Ibadan Baales, Chief Petition IGP, Makinde, over Unlawful Arrest, Threat to Lives

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan 

Village heads (Baales) in Ibadanland and a Senior Chief, Dotun Sanusi, have petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, over unlawful arrests, harassment, intimidation and threats to lives of the residents of Akanran in Ibadan, by an alleged land grabber aided by police officers from Abuja.

Also petitioned were the Chief Judge of Oyo State; Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone XI; Commissioner of Police, Oyo State; Director, DSS, Oyo State and the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in the state.

Sanusi alongside 22 Baales that include Yekini Obisesan (Baale Akanran); Baale Jimoh Aderemi (Baale Bioku-Gbogun); Baale David Ibikunle (Baale Oke Ogun); Baale Moses Taiwo (Baale Ojoku); Baale Suara Ogunyemi (Baale Akita Araowu); Baale Alawaye Toheeb Oyebode (Baale Alawaye), and several others, in the petition titled, ‘Threat to Life, Unlawful arrest, Intimidation and Illegal acquisition of 95 acres of land at Akintola village, Akanran, Ona Ara Local Government of Oyo State’, described ongoing several invitations being extended to residents in the area as provocative.

The petitioners urged the IGP to investigate and bring to justice, a supposed gender officer of the police force (names withheld) fingered in the unlawful persecution of residents of Akintola village, and diversionary invitation of chiefs in a matter they knew nothing about.

The Baales under the leadership of Baale Obisesan, said the ‘illegal activities’ of the said officer, who was saddled with gender matters but regrettably dabbling in land matters, was in contravention to his duty call and the position of the Inspector General and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Solomon Arase.

According to them, the officer working in the Gender Unit in the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Area 10, Abuja, was being used to harass, intimidate and threaten people as a decoy by people of questionable character to victimise and threaten influential and innocent people in the society.

They added that this officer with telephone number 08052531330, also had the effrontery to invite Chief Sanusi, a Senior Chief in the city who knew nothing about the disputed land to appear in Abuja for alleged threat to life of yet to be identified persons, masquerading as land grabbers on an expanse of land in Akintola village, Akanran in Ona Ara Local Government area.

Sanusi, an Ibadan-based billionaire businessman and a philanthropist, who was seen as highly influential to stop him from further arrests and harassment cum invitation of Baales to Abuja for a matter that was long adjudicated upon with justice entered by an Oyo State High Court Judge, Justice A. G. Sunmonu, was also invited by the said officer.

The Baales alleged that a suspected land grabber, trading under Paragon Estate, wanted to grab 250 acres of land in Akanran, with the aid of the officer, stating that the atrocities of the officer alongside one Akinrogun of Ibeju Lekki, Chief Jelili Akande, on a long settled disputed land which an Oyo State High Court had entered judgment into, is already before the Oyo State Government Task Force on Land Matters.

The petition read in part, “For even contravening the IGP who was reported to have warned officers on land matters, we (undersigned Baales) demand panel of enquiry to investigate the interest of ASP (names withheld) and other officers in this matter.

“That this same officer unlawfully arrested and detained a resident of the area at a police facility in Orita Challenge, Ibadan before the innocent man was forcibly whisked to Abuja the following day and made to write statement under duress. This calls for further investigation and punishment must be served accordingly.

“Using threats on people including traditional rulers to appear before him or vacate their land when he is not a judge or court of law, also calls to question the integrity of the said officer and we therefore, demand from both the IGP and the PSC Chairman, Solomon Arase to wade in, immediately and ensure thorough investigation of this officer.

“Since experience has shown that these so-called property developers have been using the police officers to coerce innocent people and lawful land owners to vacate their lands or forfeits same after series of human right abuses, intimidation, harassment including threats to lives, the IGP and the PSC must not allow this matter to be swept under the carpet because an injury to one is an injury to all.”

They added, “For the umpteenth time, we are using this medium to officially complain against this unlawful police action in a purely civil matter. Anybody who feels he is the rightful owner of a land needs not resort to self-help by using the police to threaten people but should rather heads to the court to proof his case.

“This officer and his type destroying the image of the Force and going against the instructions of the IGP should be punished to serve as a deterrent to other officers.

‘The officer boasting that he was above the law and could not be called to question on this civil matter and not gender affair with which he was saddled with, should be probed thoroughly and investigated for justice to be served.”

The village heads insisted that the ongoing several invitations being extended to residents in the area on the alleged influence of Akande, are provocative, noting that the disputed land has been resolved by the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan, in a suit with number: I/443/2014, as Justice G.A. Sunmonu, had on March 19, 2020, delivered a judgment in favour of Alhaji Rasheed Eniayenfe Ojo, and Good Foundation Social Club, who were the defendants in the case.