Residents of Magboro communities in Obafemi-Owode local government, Ogun State, yesterday stormed the State House of Assembly (OGHA) complex, Abeokuta, to protest alleged land-grabbing by some people in the area.
The protesters, in their hundreds, arrived at the Oke-Mosan complex of the Assembly by 10am bearing placards with various inscriptions and singing solidarity songs.
Some of the inscriptions read, ‘We demand full justice from OGHA’, ‘Governor Abiodun please help us’ and ‘the police are working with thugs and criminals to forcefully take over our land and houses.’
The aggrieved residents, from 15 communities under the aegis of the Magboro Community Development Associations (CDAs), expressed concern over what they called the “ineffectiveness” of the Anti-Grabbers law in the state, describing the law as “a toothless bull dog.”
They alleged that the “ineffectiveness of the law” had allowed land grabbers to terrorise them over their properties.
Another community, Onikogbo, in Ado Odo/Ota local government also joined in the demonstration against alleged hijacking of their own lands.
The Chairman of the Magboro CDAs, Jimi Olusanya, told the Ogun House Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo, that the activities of the land grabbers, widely called ‘Omo Onile’ in the local parlance, had led to extortion, destruction of properties and loss of lives in the area.
Olusanya explained that the ‘omo onile’s’ untoward activities assumed a more frightening dimension last week when they pasted court orders on houses in the communities, claiming possession of the lands there.
The CDA Chairman wondered why anyone would suddenly now lay claim over lands that had been “sold out many years back by the same set of people.”
He alleged that the alleged land grabbers were aided by some government security agents to intimidate residents of the communities.
The Chairman asked the state government and the Assembly to urgently intervene and resolve the matter to avoid breakdown of law and order in the area.
He also demanded that the Anti-Grabbers law be implemented to curb the activities of the hoodlums.
Oluomo assured the protesters that the legislature would intervene and make the Anti-Grabbers law more effective.
He also charged them to be on guard and explore other possible areas to resolve the issues legitimately without plunging the state into crisis.
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