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Stakeholders in Agege Local Government have called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the land ownership claims made by the former Ogun State Deputy Speaker, Edward Ayo-Odugbesan, and his wife.
The stakeholders, including former Agege Local Government chairmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and Baale-in-Council, also condemned the alleged use of security agencies and anti-corruption bodies by the Ayo-Odugbesan family to intimidate and harass council officials in the course of their duties.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, the stakeholders called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to direct officials of the Nigerian Police, the EFCC, and ICPC to ensure that law and order are maintained.
It was recalled that the former Deputy Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Edward Ayo-Odugbesan, and his wife, Funmi, accused the Chairman of Agege Local Government Area, Ganiyu Egunjobi, of unlawfully demolishing their building on Old Ogba Road, Abiola Market, Lagos State.
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The couple claims to have documents validating their ownership of the demolished property, which has existed for no fewer than 30 years.
In response to these claims, the first executive chairman of Agege Local Government, Alhaji Ganiu Owolabi Dada, stated that Ayo-Odugbesan had been presenting a bogus survey plan and Certificate of Occupancy to support their claims to the council’s property.
He urged the couple to seek redress in court, adding, “We strongly disapprove of their resort to self-help, intimidation of our council officials, and blackmail, particularly of the Executive Chairman of the council, Alhaji Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi, whose only offense against the Ayo-Odugbesans is his strict commitment to the oath he swore to protect the interests of Agege.
“We confidently state that the land in question is ours, as we were part of the process that secured the land from the state government for the local council. We are therefore shocked by the Ayo-Odugbesans’ supposed claim to the land.
“We, the stakeholders in Agege Local Government, will not sit idly by and allow the former Ogun House of Assembly Deputy Speaker and his wife to seize our land, intimidate and harass council officials, or cause chaos in our community and in Lagos State. Instead of making mischievous and diversionary allegations against council officials, they should allow the matter to proceed through the courts.”
Another former council chairman, Elder Rotimi Adeshina, under whose tenure the dispute began, emphasized that the land in question belongs to the council and vowed to resist any external forces trying to claim the collective property of residents in the district.
He said, “We are not going to allow any external forces to bamboozle us in our district. When I was the council chairman, I received a petition regarding a piece of land. I set up a committee to investigate, and it was discovered that Ayo-Odugbesan is not entitled to that land because the C of O he presented didn’t correspond with the survey plan he submitted. We in Agege will not sit back and allow him to take what belongs to us. The property belongs neither to Egunjobi nor to any individual, but to the council. We want the law to take its course and do not want any interference by anyone other than the courts. We will not forfeit our land to any individual.”
A community leader, Elder Theophilus Afolabi, claimed to have procured the disputed land for Agege Local Government in the early 1980s.
He said, “I procured that land for Agege Local Government because I believed it would be suitable for a market. The council did not have enough markets at the time. I wrote to the Ministry of the Environment and was instructed to contact the Land Bureau. They confirmed that the land had not been allocated and subsequently allocated it to Agege Local Government. The Land Bureau issued a notice to all interested parties, stating that anyone with a claim to the land should come forward. After 21 days, no one made any claim, and the government issued the Certificate of Occupancy to Agege Local Government. At that time, no one was occupying the land. Edward Ayo-Odugbesan was among those who encroached on it.”
The Ologba of Ogba Kingdom, Oba Lateef Egbeyemi, said, “I am a registered surveyor, and I have reviewed the plans submitted by both parties. The survey plan attached to the Ayo-Odugbesans’ documents does not correspond with the land allocated to Agege Local Government. The land in question falls within the local government’s allotment. We want to make it clear that he is fighting a lost cause. No matter how highly placed someone is, it is wrong to use one’s position to acquire the council’s land. Since he has gone to court, he should wait for the verdict. We will respect the law because we stand for justice.”
