How Hoodlums Hire Police Officers For Land Grabbing Operations

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Facts have emerged how some armed hoodlums connive and hire some gullible Police officers for land grabbing operations in Lagos State.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the fact was revealed following the recent attack by armed hoodlums, suspected to be land grabbers, who at the weekend invaded Okun Ajah area of Lagos State shooting sporadically in a bid to forcefully take over a large portion of land in the community.

The community alleged that the  hoodlums, who were led by a certain Akogun Okukosi and assisted by armed Policemen, caused serious panic in the Lagos community as they brandished assorted charms and amulets.

After the shooting incident, which reportedly lasted for over one hour, the hoodlums erected  signposts, indicating that they had taken over the large expanse of  land.

They also inscribed “Possession taken today 30/07/21” on the walls of the buildings on the land  without citing any suit number  from any Court to back the possession order. 

Counsel to Winhomes Global Services Limited, one of the owners of the land, Bolanle Olagbani, said, “I am surprised at the whole thing. There is no ongoing case on the land. There is no suit number on the signposts and notices that they erected on the land”.

The Counsel has therefore, sent a petition to the Attorney General of Lagos State on what he described as “land grabbing, threat to life, conduct likely to cause breach of public peace and breakdown of law and order”.

The petitions to the Lagos Attorney General read: “We are solicitors to Winhomes Global Services Limited (hereinafter referred to as our client) and we have its instructions to write you. Our client is a reputable real estate company recognized both at home and abroad in the real estate business for conforming with international best practices in its real estate transactions”.

“Our client is the bona fide owner of 17 hectares of land at Okun Ajah bought from the principal members of the Odewale Agbationika Family (parcel D’) of Okun Ajah and another 10 hectares of land purchased from the Etisalat Multipurpose Cooperative Society both covered by Certificate of Occupancy No. 69/69/200AC and Governor’s Consent dated 10th May, 2014, respectively. Our client also bought other properties from separate individual families and individuals estimated at about 7 hectares and also covered by Lagos State Certificate of Occupancy No. 69/69/2006AC.”

The lawyer added that, “Our clients were in effective and peaceful possession of the aforementioned properties until a few months ago when one Saheed Olukosi stormed our clients property on behalf of Charles Oghor and Andrew Archer in the company of about 25 persons, who can only be described as hoodlums, miscreants, onyabo’s and ajangungbale’s to physically and forcefully dispossess our clients of the bona fide ownership of its land using the name of Late Efunroye Tinubu/Adamakin Inv. & Works Ltd, who have no Court Judgement in their favour and no valid or legal allocation of land from the Lagos State Government”.

“Saheed Olukosi was armed with a double barrelled gun whilst others with him had cutlasses, axes, locally made pistols and wooden clubs with protruding nails, which they used to chase our clients staff and workers off the land” the lawyer alleged. 
He further alleged that “Saheed Olukosi was firing shots at random and into the air until the men of the Mobile Police Force intervened by arresting some of the hoodlums while Saheed Olukosi jumped into the bush and escaped”.

“The said Saheed Olukosi at the persistent instigation of Charles Oghor and Andrew Archer has however, not stopped his acts of illegal trespass with his hoodlums on our clients land by leading a new set of miscreants to regularly threaten our clients staff and machine operators, who are working on Winhomes Global Services Limited estate site with death and juju which he says will kill our clients staff if they venture into the land again and illegally erected sign boards on our client’s land, claiming ownership of same.”

The petition further stated that “Charles Oghor and Andrew Archer using the auspices of Saheed Olukosi has presently illegally dispossessed our client of about 3 hectares of its land as we speak”.

“Our clients have no peace as Saheed Olukosi, Charles Oghor and Andrew Archer have also threatened to send hired killers to eliminate our clients Managing Director, hence this petition “the lawyer alleged. 

The Counsel added that “Our clients are peaceful and law abiding citizens of Nigeria investing in the real estate sector of Lagos State and Nigeria and these land grabbing acts of Saheed Olukosi a.k.a Akogun, Charles Oghor and Andrew Archer are capable of destroying investors confidence in Lagos State and may lead to a breach of the public peace at Okun Ajah and a breakdown of law and order if Saheed Olukosi, Charles Oghor and Andrew Archer are not investigated and brought to justice”.

“We urge you to kindly use your good offices to direct the Lagos State Task Force on land grabbers to investigate and bring Saheed Olukosi, Charles Oghor and Andrew Archer and their cohorts to justice swiftly.Yours faithfully,” the lawyer pleaded.

Meanwhile, the image maker in charge of the State Police Command, Muyiwa Adejobi, denied being aware of the operation by the Policemen.

Also, one of the law firms included on the signpost, Thomas Orogan and Co. has dissociated itself from the invasion on of the Lagos community.

Barrister Thomas Orogan claimed that he was not contacted before his law firm was included in the signpost and that he had directed the invaders to remove his name from the post.