Residents of Ebute Ibelefun Oju Olokun in Malatori, along Ibeshe Road in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State certainly did not have a pleasant Eid-el-Fitri. Their community was invaded by a gang of hoodlums who demolished 11 buildings and left eight women and children with various injuries
While many families across the world were felicitating during the Eid-el-Fitri celebrations, residents of Ebute Ibelefun Oju Olokun Iga Palapo community, near Ibeshe, in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State were under siege. According to residents, a few days before the end of the Ramadan fasting, some suspected hoodlums invaded the community demolishing houses and beating occupants of affected structures.
In the aftermath, about eight women and children were hospitalised as a result of injuries sustained in the hands of the hoodlums and suspected and grabbers. 11 buildings were demolished while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.
Before the hoodlums departed the community, they threatened to carry out more demolitions very soon. The hoodlums, who are believed to be agents of a self-acclaimed agent, promised the residents of a much more frightening attack.
This led the embattled residents to organise a 'Save Our Soul' protest. In a petition, signed by 40 landlords of the community and sent to the Inspector General of Police, the Lagos State governor, the state police commissioner and made available to Saturday Mirror, it was alleged that one Saheed, who claimed to be an agent of the State government, had in April 2012 invaded the community and marked all the buildings there for destruction, saying that the land in question was illegally acquired by the landlords.
The petition read in part, "In August 2012 without prior notice apart from a verbal one, one Saheed, came with two armed policemen and four fierce-looking thugs armed with sledge hammers and demolished some buildings in our community.
He later threatened others whose buildings were not affected by this initial demolition that he would come back to demolish more buildings except we come and 'settle' with him." The residents of the community say Saheed demanded six million Naira from every house owner whose building bore his demolition mark.
The house owners, in absolute fear and confusion, approached the family who sold their lands to them. Curiously, the land owners asked the confused landlords to negotiate with the agent, claiming that they could do nothing to help them.
A twist was, however, added to the whole story when one Mr Ayeni appeared from the blues to claim that the land actually belonged to the late T. O. S Benson. The said Ayeni, with all valid documents to the land, claimed that he represents the late socialite's family on the matter, a claim later confirmed by the landlords.
According to Ayeni, he was away from the country when Asajon family sold the land to the people who are now claiming to own them. He approached the Ipakodo Police Station to prevent the hoodlums from invading the property again. Some of miscreants were detained and later released.
Ayeni, who claimed to have had a fruitful discussion with the landlords, argues that "The Asajon family, which sold the land to them, erred because the land does not belong to that family in the first place.
The land actually belongs to my late principal, Chief T. O. S Benson." Mr. Sunday Igho, a naval personnel who is also a landlord in the area, recounts his experience. "The hoodlums have made life worthless for us and for our dependants.
My aged mother was almost killed when the hoodlums started demolishing houses and beating anyone that attempted to stand in their way." Another visibly shaken landlord, Mr. Akeem Esivue, narrated how he and his family had been living in fear since the attack. "We are unable to go out of the community for fear of being attacked.
My children and other children in the community now found it hard to attend school because of the perpetual presence of the hoodlums in the community, wielding dangerous weapons."
An Islamic cleric, Aafa Ismail Akewula, who is also a landlord in the community, said, "My family has been thrown into untold hardship by the hoodlums.
My means of livelihood in Ebute Metta is suffering because I have been unable to go out of the community since the invasion of the hoodlums." A housewife in the community, who craved anonymity, also said her husband was critically injured while struggling with the land grabbers who were trying to demolish their house. She said, "It all happened like a dream.
We were relaxing in front of our house one afternoon when about four hoodlums and two policemen stormed the community, demolishing every building in sight. When my husband got up to prevent them from touching our house, one of the thugs smashed a hammer on his shoulders.
My husband has been in the hospital since then." Saheed, however, he denies sending hoodlums to beat residents of the community. He insisted that the residents had refused to act on several government efforts to integrate them the state's housing policy scheme, which he claims to oversee. His words: "How on earth would anyone send thugs to attack women and innocent children?
This claim must be the figment of the imagination of its peddlers." When Saturday Mirror called at Ipakodo Police Station, the head of the station was said to be away on duty. But a Sergeant, who does not want to be named, confirmed the arrest of the said Saheed recently. He, however, declined to give further details of the case.
National Mirror