Residents of Mowo community in Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, weekend protested the invasion of their communities by land grabbers.
The residents who staged a peaceful protest at the palace of the Baale of their community lamented the unlawful invasion of the town by suspected land grabbers.
Speaking during the protest, the Baale of Mowo community in Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Chief Kolawole Samuel Talabi, urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene and save the community from imminent crisis that is capable of disrupting the peace of the community.
The Community leader while reacting to the unlawful invasion of the town by suspected land grabbers, said: “The land grabbers invaded our community with some suspected police officers who have continued to harass, intimidate, arrest and extort residents in the community. We can’t sleep with our eyes closed because of the invasion of our community by land grabbers three weeks ago.
“We were surprised when over 200 armed thugs brandishing guns and policemen stormed the community and began to paste notices on the building asking residents to evacuate the community. As part of their strategy to make us react, they have going around attacking and extorting residents in the community. They will go to people’s shops and tell them to pay N20, 000; they will go to people’s houses and ask them to pay four million naira. Now they are terrorising us by bringing a lot of criminals to the community.
“We have reported to the Area K Command but nothing has been done to secure lives and property in the community. We want the people of Lagos state to come to our aid and save us from their deadly claws. We are also calling on the Commissioner of Police to investigate the police officers who are used by land grabbers to intimidate residents. We are a peace-loving people. That is why we decided to use all legitimate methods to resolve the issue.
“We refused to engage the invaders in any confrontation despite the unwarranted provocation on us. So, I am using this opportunity to call on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come to our aid by getting rid of these land speculators that are ravaging the community and threatening to demolish our houses.”
Chief Talabi insisted that the attack was an attempt to take over 333 hectares of land belonging to them, and six other communities covered by the Lagos state gazette.
He explained: “The land in question was bequeathed to us by our forebears. Twenty-five years ago. Lagos state government acquired 44 hectares of land from Mowo community to construct an ultra-modern market in Mowo to relocate the people to Warf. Unfortunately, they never did even after fencing the entire land.”
He further explained that our community was not served any court or legal document, and none of the indigenes were sued in court over this land stating that some of the documents being paraded by the invaders are not genuine.
In his speech, the Community Development Association, CDA, Chairman and the Imam Igbode of Mowe, Kabir Tijani said: “People of Mowo community are living in fear and terror because of the activities of land grabbers. My life is in danger, they have threatened to arrest me, and they allege I am instigating indigenes not to cooperate with them.
“They threatened to bring caterpillars to demolish my house. For two weeks now, I can’t sleep in my house because of the threat to my life. My building is one of the ones where they placed their notice stating that “possession was taken.”
A 78-year-old indigene of the area, Amida Hamudat in his comment said that since the invasion of land grabbers who were accompanied by police and soldiers, we have not had peace; we can’t sleep because they have threatened to bring caterpillars to demolish houses in the community