Hundreds of Ibadan residents from Alaja Phase One, Alaja Phase Two, Isagunna and Aponmode, all in Labi, Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State on Thursday stormed the State House of Assembly protesting what they called invasion on their community by Mogaji of Akinsola Family Compound, Chief Wale Oladoja.
The residents of these communities, comprising landlords and landladies, who laid the allegation against Chief Oladoja, said they have been occupying the said lands for decades, but they were surprised to hear that someone has got court injunction to evict them from their properties.
The protesters, who took save-our-soul message to the entrance of Oyo State House of Assembly Complex, appeal to lawmakers to rescue the people of the communities from the Mogaji that sealed off their houses on Wednesday.
While addressing journalists, one of the community leaders, who also claimed to be a member of the Akinola family, Rauf Adeogun narrated that they were summoned to a meeting, but in the meeting “they told us that those who bought land from our forefathers, would buy the land again from the original owner which is one of the lineages of Akinsola Family.
“And our father had warned us not to forcefully take back land already sold because Labi was owned by four lineages of Akinsola which are: Oju-Oyo, Oje, Idi-kan and Labiran, so the Labiran family is now the one disturbing the residents.
“We had been to the Olubadan to seek for the resolution of the matter and Olubadan had warned the ‘land grabbers’ not to forcefully take the land from the owners.” He stated.
However, when journalists reached out to him for his side of the story and to defend the myriads of allegations levelled against him by the protesters, Mogaji Akinsola, Chief Wale Oladoja said that the family acted on the court judgement obtained in 2001 by the Akinsola family who is the real owner of all the lands in Labi to take back their land.
He further averred that before the action was taken on Wednesday, he had held series of peaceful meetings with the residents of the four communities.
Chief Oladoja used the opportunity to call on the residents of the communities for dialogue and negotiations in order to resolve the matter amicably and permanently, stressing that his doors are always open for dialogue and win-win resolutions.
He said: “My Family acted according to the law of the land, because we have four to five judgements in respect to the land they are talking about.
“We had held peaceful meeting with the residents of the community several times, even our respected Imperial Majesty, Olubadan of Ibadanland, Ọba Mohood Olalekan Alli Okunmade II had scheduled a meeting with us for the resolution of the same matter.
“From the valid judgement we obtained, it is stated the land were sold illegally to the residents of the communities and we demanded that whatever they wanted to do on the land, they need to let know.
“I think the protesters are supposed to follow peace and my door is open for them for peaceful resolution, we only sued the party that sold the land to them, we don’t have anything to do with the protesting landlords.
“I’m available for dialogue and negotiations with the families and their representatives, then we can resolve the issue amicably.
In reaction to the land crisis in Akinyele Local Government, the lawmakers representing Akinyele State constituency 1, Lekan Abiola promised to call Chief Oladoja to hear his own side of the story.
Hon. Abiola said that “when I heard the story of the land grabbing in my constituency, I was angry because in this century we should not be talking about land grabbing because I was aware that there is an anti-land grabbing law already in place the state and it is a punishable offense.
Also reacting to the allegations laid against Mogaji Akinsola of Labi Community, lawmaker representing Akinyele Constituency 2, Kehinde Olatunde said that the 9th Assembly promulgated anti-land grabbing law which indicated the interest of the State Government in stopping land grabbing, noting that this present Assembly will not allow land grabbers in the state and will make sure they face the full wrath of the law.
He promised that the matter would be looked into and the crisis would be resolved amicably for peace to reign in Akinyele Local Government.
“The 9th Assembly was the one that promulgated the law of anti-land grabbing and the House is not taking it lightly at all, because we found out that the land Grabbers migrated from Lagos State to Ogun state and from Ogun state to Oyo State and we are not going to take it, even the Governor will not take it.
“The Governor indicated interest in the law of anti-land grabbing and the House of Assembly will not take it lightly.
“I don’t know if judgement can just come up like this, there is solution to it in the constitution of Nigeria and for you to go and drive people of over 200 houses away from their abode which they have occupied for over 23 years, I believe there is solution to the matter.” He stated.
Both parties have been summoned to a meeting by the Imperial Majesty, Olubadan of Ibadanland in his palace on Sunday 20th of August 2023.