The Magodo Residents Association (MRA) in Magodo Phase 2 area of Lagos State has called on the state government and the Inspector General of Police to come to their aid after police invaded and harassed residents.
The MRA Chairman, Mr. Bajo Osinubi; the General Secretary, Ade Aroloye; the Legal Adviser, Tunji Abdulhameed; and the Estate Manager, Ago Solademi were at the briefing in Magodo on Thursday November 26.
The General Secretary, Ade Aroloye; the MRA Chairman, Mr. Bajo Osinubi; th Legal Adviser, Tunji Abdulhameed; and the Estate Manager, Ago Solademi at the briefing in Magodo
According to Osinubi, “Some personnel of FCID Alagbon alongside thugs disrupted activities in the estate on Wednesday November 25.
“It came as a great shock to residents the treatment meted out to them by law enforcement agents of the government which was as follows; detachment of police lead by an Assistant Superintendent of Police from FCID Alagbon.”
Osunibi hinted that the personnel came with some thugs in two vans into the estate on Wednesday 25 November, 2020.
“They went round the estate; accessed various construction sites, harassed workers and arrested all found on the sites. But we calmed the situation, and they left,” he added.
Speaking, the chairman said the invasion led to the total lockdown of the estate. “Others stated that there was an attempted kidnapping operation. There was chaos all over the estate.”
The chairman emphasised, “Whilst we are aware that a certain Adeyiga family obtained judgment in court against the Lagos state government as well as 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 the Adeyiga family by the Lagos state government in respect of any land within Magodo GRA phase 2 for them to be entitled to lay claim to any particular house or land within Magodo GRA.”
The MRA chairman told newsmen in Lagos, “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.”
“We are surprised that despite the fact that the matter is currently pending before the court of appeal, the police would give support to any member of Adeyiga family, their agents, representatives and/or anyone acting on their behalf to illegally and forcefully take possession of any land in Magodo.”
The MRA made a call, “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 take possession of innocent people’s properties.”
He noted, however, that the Adeyiga family rejected the 548 plots of land the Lagos State government gave them in Badagry, and in Lekki.
With this unresolved issued, Osunibi called on the state government to come to their aid; live up to its responsibility of securing the lives and properties of reputable, responsible, innocent, and law-abiding residents as law abiding, who have contributed immensely to the development of Magodo, Lagos state, and Nigeria.
He recalled that the Magodo Phase 2 residents association was set up circa 1992. Since then, the population of the estate has grown in leaps and bounds with residents drawn from all parts of the country and from all walks of life.
“Development within the estate particularly over the last two decades have been mostly through self-help with residents’ driving the development of the estate in the main,” he narrated.
In the words of the chairman, this self-development activities have taken place in parallel with various government charges and levies like land use charge, taxes and sundry approval charges/ fees for various building developments among others, being paid by property owners within the estate.
