The Ojomu royal family in Lagos state has called on the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.), to intervene in land grabbing activities at the Eti-Osa/Chevron Estate in the state.
The family also requested the intervention of the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the inspector general of police, Alkali Baba, in the matter.
In a statement on Saturday, the family alleged that some of the state’s top police officers were dabbling in the matter and urged Buhari, Sanwo-Olu and the police chief to warn those officers.
According to them, the officials are dragging the PGI name into the mud for land grabbing activities.
The statement read: “The Ojomu family said that on December 18, 2022, some policemen chased away the owners of a 8,223-square-meter property and their workers from the site, while some of the workers were arrested with the claim that they were acting on the directives of a first generation bank.
“The property sold to ”Mr. Ibrahim”, who was not part of what was sold to the bank, belongs to the poroku gazette of the Ojomu royal family, which was confirmed by the governor of Lagos state, vide village split notice published in the official gazette n º 13, dated August 29. 2002, vol. 35, signed by his Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the then Executive Governor of Lagos State.
“After spending the night in police custody, the Ojomu royal family was able to rescue the 9 arrested workers. Since then, the police remained in the place from December 18, 2022 to date without leaving. They warn that they will shoot anyone who moves near the property of which our client, Mr. Ibrahim, did not receive any invitation from the police or the bank nor was any investigation carried out before the policemen were sent to take Chevron’s site. We see that as a lack of professionalism and one-sidedness.”
According to the statement, the royal family sold land directly to a now-defunct bank and sold another part to Mr. Ibrahim, which is different from that sold to the defunct bank, whose ownership was later transferred to the first-generation bank.
“Why declare Mr. Ibrahim, who has spent over N700 million on a property, a land grabber and wanted? The Ojomu royal family categorically says that Mr. Ibrahim is never a land grabber. This is a man known as a serial entrepreneur; He has a real estate investment, having managed many properties in Lagos; investors in healthcare, oil and gas, technology and airlines. He has no criminal record not to mention land grabbing.
“We have it on good authority that the bank has spent around N200 million to cause the current crisis despite the clear record that the land belongs to the Ojomu royal family.
“We call on the President, Governor Sanwo-Olu and the IGP to intervene and bring the representative of the bank to appear together with the Ojomu royal family to solve the problem instead of sending policemen to intimidate the landlords.
“The landowners are pleading with the Presidency, the IGP and the Governor of Lagos to ensure that justice is served for the landowners who have acted civilly and legally in the face of harassment and intimidation,” the statement read.
