Lagos Land Speculator in Contention with Land Owners, Accuses Police of Attempt to Extort Him 

Victoria Ojiako

A suspected land speculator in Lagos State, Saheed Mosadoluwa,  aka Ibile of Harmony Estate, Ibeju-Lekki, has accused the police of attempting to extort N150million from him over an ongoing land matter with other land owners. 

According to him, some officers from Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan in Lagos, wanted to extort N150m from him, claiming the money was for the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. 

He lamented that instead of inviting him over properly to defend himself, the police went on to accuse him of kidnapping, gun running and killing after which they declared him wanted on social media. 

Resolving to seek justice from the court, he said:

“Nobody will pay you one kobo again since you people don’t have respect for the rule of law. That your warrant of arrest will be challenged with genuine order from Federal High Court to show the magistrate court you got the warrant from that whatever you came back to do in that property, you are infringing that court order.

“Did IGP send you to go and violate law? Did he send you to go and negotiate land?. I am on the road at Ibeju-Lekki. If there is anything I have done wrong, why can’t you write to me? Where is the invitation? The only thing you kept on saying was that the IGP wants me to come to his house with N150m when the officer was calling me.

“All the police officers claim to be investigating different cases while one of them is the negotiator, and he claims to be close to the IGP. They claimed that if I bring the money, all the problems I had with the police will be resolved. 

“What problem do I have with the police? I don’t have any problem with either the police or IGP. I did not bribe anybody close to the IGP. They should stop causing confusion, IGP did not send you people to go and collect money from me. Declaring me wanted was just to de-market and assassinate my character.”

Debunking his claims, police sources intimated that they were borne out of his imagination, stating that he was declared wanted after all efforts to invite him to answer to allegations against him in a petition failed. 

According to the police, all efforts made for him to respond to the petition failed, rather dared the policemen to step into Ibeju-Lekki and see trouble. 

“It is on record that he and his thugs manhandled some policemen that earlier went to Ibeju-Leki to investigate a reported case of land grabbing and threats to life by him.

“Hence, he was declared wanted through the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police at the Force Criminal Investigations Department. After that, he resorted to threatening the police on the internet; boasting that he could not be arrested. 

“He also claimed that he has about 41 armed policemen guarding him and moves around every time with about four of them.”

It was learned that earlier, the suspect had a bloody encounter with many land owners, including the popular Oni-Orisan family whose matriarch, Chief Mrs. Dupe Oni-Orisan Damazio was purportedly manhandled over the land dispute.

The family had petitioned police authorities stating that “we are bringing the criminal activities of a land grabber, Saheed Mosadoluwa aka Ibile of Harmon Estate to your attention because on Monday 22nd, July, 2024, our family head was severely beaten by Ibile.”

According to the family, he blocked the road with his thugs and hoodlums, causing great inconvenience to road users and kidnapped the family head, Chief. Mrs. Damazio including another family member,  Mr. Adeniji Adele, to an unknown location.

“Ibile has become notorious as a land grabber in the area, terrorizing land owners and dispossessing them of their land. It is sad to note that the police appear to be aiding his behavior as he has beaten and driven police officers on investigations away from any intervention. He boasts that no one can stop him.”

Given the numerous petitions against him, it was gathered that the police had no choice but to  investigating his claims that some officers are involved in the land scandal.