One month following the incursion and siege by land grabbers in the Ajasa-Command area of Lagos, a community of 20,000 residents has issued a pressing appeal, known as a ‘Save Our Souls’ petition, to State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. They seek his intervention to shield them from the daily harassment and intimidation inflicted by the land grabbers.

On February 16, 2024, inhabitants of the Ifelagba and Aniya Community Development Areas awoke to the arrival of notorious land grabbers from Ogun State, accompanied by over 200 henchmen. They purportedly invaded the community under the guise of enforcing a judgment from a Lagos High Court regarding a land dispute between the Oba Subaru Odualabe and Kehinde Ologunebi families. The dispute pertains to an expanse of land spanning 11.370 hectares outlined in survey plan no: AGB 247A, situated at Igbo Esinsin. Owoeye, a figure well-known and feared in Ogun State, primarily in Atan-Ota, where he is based, led the incursion.

The litigation started with suit no ID/937/2006 before Justice Atinuke Ipaye of the Ikeja Judicial Division who delivered her judgement on September 29, 2011 in favour of the Ologunebi family. The matter thereafter, proceeded to the Court of Appeal, Lagos in 2012 before Justices Amina Augie, Abimbola Obaseki-Adejumo, and Tijjani Abubakar. In a unanimous decision, and in the lead judgement read by Justice Obaseki-Adejumo, the appellate court affirmed the decision of the lower court. Not satisfied with the Court of Appeal decision, Oba Odualabe proceeded to the Supreme Court where Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun in December 2022 struck the case out, due to withdrawal and incompetence.

Meanwhile on December 8, 2023, Oba Odualabe filed another application seeking leave to relist the appeal before the Supreme Court. But, prior to this, the Plaintiff had filed an ex-parte application before Justice Ipaye seeking to take possession of the land in question. In granting the application, Justice Ipaye said: “It is trite that every court of law has the inherent and bounden duty, to ensure that a litigant enjoys the juicy fruit of success in the legal contest. This court having also extracted an undertaking from the judgement creditor, to the effect that execution of the judgement shall not be used as an occasion to unleash violence and mayhem on the holders of third-party interests created over the subject property in the course of litigation”. Based on this extraction of undertaking signed by Alhaji Suraju Ologunebi, Justice Ipaye granted the application for possession on November 15, 2023. Alhaji Suraju Ologunebi swore to an oath not to execute judgement with violence on December 12, 2024. However, despite the pendency of the appeal before the Supreme Court, it also granted a consequential order granting possession to the judgement creditor to take over the land on December 15, 2023. The lower court further granted the order of execution on January 24, 2024.

In 2015, the residents were first informed about the legal proceedings following the delivery of the judgment by the Court of Appeal. Subsequently, they promptly engaged their legal representative, Mr. Jiti Ogunye, to initiate contact with Mr. Idowu Kokumo, the legal counsel representing the Ologunebi family. From 2015 to 2020, the lawyers exchanged correspondences discussing the residents’ willingness to negotiate with the judgment creditor while awaiting the final resolution from the Supreme Court.

The communities were therefore astounded to discover the presence of over 200 thugs led by Chief Owoeye in their neighborhoods, in violation of the ban on land grabber activities enforced by the Lagos State Government. These individuals were accompanied by court officials who tagged the targeted properties. Additionally, the group included 40 police officers and 20 soldiers, along with a Military Police pickup truck. The origins of the Army vehicle were later traced back to the Nigerian Army Dog Center in Ipaja, where it was stationed.

Since then, the Owoeye thugs have remained in the communities, destroying properties, locking people’s homes, and extorting residents. They lock gates, preventing residents from either going out or coming in. The residents, pushed to the wall, are getting more and more restive by the day. It got to a head that Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fayoade Adegoke Mustapha on Tuesday March 12, 2024 held a meeting at his office with all the parties involved in the case. In attendance at the meeting were Alhaji Suraju Ologunebi, the judgement creditor, representatives of the Odualabe Royal family, and Elders of the Ifelagba CDA. The Police boss admonished all parties, to prevent a breakdown of law and order within the community. He told Alhaji Ologunebi to respect the undertaking he made in court and that he should not expect the residents to negotiate with him under duress, while also admonishing the residents to quickly facilitate negotiations with the judgement creditor.

Mr Ogunye has written to Mr Kokumo that the residents are ready to negotiate, but that such negotiations could only be done in an atmosphere of peace, and not under duress and chaos that has been unleashed on his clients.

In his communication to the Governor, Ogunye appealed to Governor Sanwo-Olu to intervene on behalf of the residents, who are law-abiding citizens of Lagos State. He emphasized the turmoil engulfing the entire community and highlighted how the landlords and residents are left defenseless against the intruders without any governmental intervention to curb the breach of peace and reinstate law and order. Ogunye underscored that these individuals, who are upright citizens of Nigeria and Lagos State, endure mistreatment by those seeking to usurp their land rights. He emphasized that the residents lawfully purchased and developed their properties, oblivious to any encumbrances or competing interests. They fulfilled all legal requirements, including payments to the Lagos State Government for stamping title documents, obtaining certificates of occupancy, obtaining planning and development permits, and fulfilling tenement rates and ground rents obligations. Ogunye urged that, under these circumstances, the residents deserve legal protection as their constitutional rights regarding property ownership are being blatantly disregarded.