The Agbamaya community land, an agrarian community in Obafemi-Owode local government area of Ogun State has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over the forceful entry and attempt to take over the entire community land by land grabbers in connivance with some Police officers from the Special Tactical Squad (STS) in Ayetoro/Itele Zone.
The petitioner said the Olu of Agbamaya Kingdom, Oba Ismail Sokunbi, was subjected to harassment and intimidation by the land grabbers.
The petition which was premised on the alleged claims credited to a self-acclaimed Baale of Agbamaya land, one Chief Bashiru Salaudeen, that he owns 950 acres of land and entire Agbamaya, was written by Law Grit Attorneys on behalf of monarch and residents of Agbamaya Village against the Police harassment, disobedience to lawful directives, abuse of IGP’s Office and other misconduct allegedly perpetrated by Police to subvert the course of justice in a clear criminal matter.
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According to the petition, dare-devil land grabbers with their ring leader -Chief Bashiru Salaudeen, had unleashed terror on the monarch and some chiefs and residents of Agbamaya Village, in which Oba Ismail Sokunbi, and two other persons -Olusola Makinde and Moninuade Olojede were attacked and the complaints lodged at the Ogun State Police Command for which DSP Omosebi was said to have hijacked, using the power of IGP and Special Tactical Squad (STS).
But, in a petition sent to Inspector General of Police in Abuja, entitled, “Complaint of Flagrant Disobedience to Lawful Directives, Abuse of IGP’s Secretariat, Obstruction of Investigation, Intimidation and Harassment Perpetrated by one DSP Toyin Omosebi and Others”, the people of the community confirmed that they had been the victims of Police dehumanization, assault and false accusation perpetrated by DSP Toyin Omosebi of STS in collaboration with land agents led by Chief Bashiru Salaudeen.
The Agbamaya people explained that the petition was written due to unprofessional conducts of DSP Omosebi and her team in obstructing due diligence and course of justice in the case being investigated by IGP Monitoring Unit, having received series of petitions to take over the case, but still is subject to undue interference from DSP Toyin Omosebi.
The people of the community however said “that the refusal of DSP Toyin to handover the case file to Inspector Benjamin and team of IGP Monitoring Unit as directed, clearly shows that DSP Toyin is on a mission to execute her hatchet job”, as she was also alleged to have promised not to obey any orders in the case even if such directives came from the Secretariat of the Inspector General of Police.
They therefore asked Inspector General of Police to direct the operatives of Special Tactical Squad (STS) to withdraw forthwith, their interest in this case since already, the IGP Monitoring Unit is on the case and direct DSP Toyin Omosebi and her team through their Head of Unit, to refrain from any conduct calculated to obstruct the operatives of IGP Monitoring Unit in carrying out their obligations and assignment, just as they also demand the submission of their reports and findings.
Speaking on the position of Agbamaya community on land grabbing and Police brutality, High Chief Olujare Oyebade, Baale of Agbamaya Oke, said that the whole crisis started when Chief Bashiru Salaudeen, the self-acclaimed Baale of Agbamaya Village, claimed ownership to 950 acres of land, which are far bigger than the entire Agbamaya Village and adjoining communities as he further claimed that he inherited the land from Pa Sobowale, his progenitor.
“This whole crisis started when Bashiru Salaudeen suddenly brought in Surveyors to Agbamaya Village and started surveying our farmlands as a preclude towards selling such lands to unsuspecting members of the public and it is against the Ogun State Anti-Land Grabbing Law 2016. Based on that, our monarch, Oba Ismail Sokunbi wrote a petition to Commissioner of Police in Ogun State.
“But, in August this year, these land agents came to Agbamaya Village in full force and started beating and dehumanizing people, including our revered Oba Ismail Sokunbi to the extent he was hospitalised at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta and the perpetrators later came with fictitious case of theft against our Oba and other Village members.
“This warranted the arrest of the monarch and others and undue interference of the Special Tactical Squad (STS), prompting opening of various case files and refusal of STS to harmonise and handover the case files for proper and thorough investigation as our series of petitions were subverted by DSP Toyin Omosebi, but we thank the IGP Principal Staff Officer, DCP Idowu Owohunwa, who has been our saviour, preventing STS to subvert the whole process, we can only ask IGP to do justice to the issue on ground”, the concluded.
