Lagos Socialite In Messy Land Grabbing Scam

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

This is not really the best of times for Lagos socialite and Chairman of an estate company, Otunba Olumide  Osunsina over his alleged involvement in land grabbing scam using his company at Ikota resettlement scheme at Lekki in Etiosa LGA, Lagos.

The alleged scam is a subject of  serious litigation at the State High Court before Justice Sherifat Solebo at T.B.S annex in Lagos Island. The fight is between Apese  village community resettlement scheme, Ikota and  Megamound Investment Nigeria Limited owned by Osunsina.

Apese community alleged that the company under Osunsina encroached and forcefully took their ancestral land despite the fact that the company had large expanse of land allocated to them more than the community’s own. Apart from the said portion of their land, the company allegedly tampered with the road approved by government thereby blocking the entire access to the community.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered from members of the community that the Egba High Chief, Osunsina had planned to wipe out Apese community from the map of Lagos because of his alleged greed and insatiable desire to acquire wealth through oppressive means. The chairman of Apese community, Alhaji Waheed Adamson lamented that the community has no access road because Megabound owners have blocked the road and constructed buildings there against the official plan by the government.

Adamson explained that they were allocated the place in 1998 after the state government displaced them from IBM opposite Eko Atlantic but he claimed the space did not accommodate the members of the community. He said Osunsina’s company was allocated their own portion with others to develop an estate but to their surprise the company moved and encroached into their land and claimed that it was a mistake.

Adamson said when they had a meeting with Osunsina and he admitted that it was a mistake, the community asked him to correct the mistake and leave their land but he then changed that he wanted to buy it from the community at his own terms.
Adamson said Osunsina was told that the government did not allocate enough land for them and therefore they will not cede or sell their ancestral land.
An embittered Adamson said Osunsina became angry and threatened that he will go on with his plan, mobilised workers and started building on the land.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the community wrote many petitions to the state government and its land agencies concerning the encroachment and intimidation.
Adamson said the allegations were investigated and the state government through the office of the Surveyor General came up with a report dated July 2016 and confirmed that Osunsina’s company, then Mayfair now changed to Megabound actually encroached on the road and Apese land. He said after the report, the company remained adamant as Osunsina insisted that nothing will happen and continued building with the use of force and influence.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that following the refusal to leave the land, the community filed a suit on the alleged encroachment asking the court to compel the company to leave their land and pay compensation for damages it has done to the community by their action. The matter has suffered several adjournments and the company was claiming that the state government adjusted the company’s allocation and ceded part of Apese land to them to develop.

This was contrary to what the Lagos State Surveyor General stated which indicted the company. However, Apese community then file a motion for the court to join the relevant government agencies to appear before the court to defend their claim but the company opposed bringing any government agencies to the court to testify.
Thus, casting doubt on their claim that the government approved the company to take part of Apese land. The matter has further been adjourned till 11th of October, 2017.

Efforts to speak with Otunba Osunsina failed when our correspondent went to Lekki to speak with him. Our correspondent was told by one of his staff that he was not around and would not speak on the matter.