Property owners at Oko Agbon, Iwaya, in the Lagos Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State have accused a family and officials of the state government of demolishing part of their building despite an ongoing land ownership dispute.
Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, one of the landlords, Mr. Olufemi Akali, alleged that the demolition was carried out by officials of state agencies on Thursday while the matter remained unresolved.
He said the agencies involved were the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
Akali further alleged that the demolition was linked to a longstanding ownership dispute involving the Rufai family in the area.
The landlord alleged that after the death of his father, some members of the Rufai family began efforts to reclaim and resell the properties despite what he described as an earlier purchase agreement.
He said the matter had previously been reported to the state’s anti-land-grabbing agency and the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, where his family presented documents supporting their ownership claims.
“They told us that the Rufai family had alleged that we were the land grabbers, but after reviewing the evidence, the case was dismissed,” he said.
Akali stated that officials from the ministry later visited the property after a developer reportedly sought approval to develop the land.
According to him, the family subsequently submitted title documents to the ministry and was awaiting feedback when some individuals allegedly visited the property on June 18 to take photographs and videos.
“We asked them what their mission was, but they became confrontational,” he said.
Akali added that the visitors were taken to Sabo Police Station in Yaba, where they allegedly threatened to return and demolish structures on the property.
The property owner further disclosed that they received a 24-hour removal notice dated June 17 from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, adding that the demolition was carried out the following day.
Also speaking, the Chief Security Officer of Ogayemi Close, Nigeria Gate Estate, Mr Rotimi Karounwi, claimed that the officials arrived at 2 p.m. on Thursday with armed policemen and allegedly forced their way into the premises.
“They harassed one of my security guards and entered without informing us where they were going. Shortly afterwards, the shepherd rushed to the church.
“The officials subsequently began demolishing the building while residents watched helplessly,” Karounwi alleged.
He said residents and passers-by pleaded with the officials to stop the demolition, adding that the exercise lasted less than 30 minutes before the team departed.
According to him, the officials claimed they were acting on directives from higher authorities.
Another victim of the demolition, the Shepherd-in-Charge of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Olaiya Bethel Parish, Oko Agbon, Iwaya, Lagos, Prophet Olanrewaju Olaiya, said he was away from the church when he received a distress call that the building was being demolished.
According to him, he rushed to the scene and met about 14 officials of the state agencies alongside armed policemen carrying out the exercise.
“I was confronted with the sight of armed policemen and officials of the state agencies. We hurriedly removed some of the items we could salvage before they broke the walls and destroyed major parts of the church,” he said.
Olaiya described the demolition as shocking and devastating, saying church activities had been severely disrupted.
“Since the demolition, we have not really held any worship service. I do not know where we will worship on Sunday.
“Many members have been displaced, including those who were in seclusion within the church premises. It has affected us spiritually and mentally,” he said.
The cleric further alleged that vested interests and suspected land grabbers might have influenced the actions of the state agencies, calling on the Lagos State Government to investigate the matter.
“We are told we are in a democracy, but the way we are being treated suggests otherwise. The government should investigate the role of alleged land grabbers in this matter and provide justice for us,” he added.
However, the solicitor to the Rufai family, Mr. Garba Babalola, rejected the allegations, maintaining that the Akali family were tenants and that the property was never sold to their late father.
Babalola said the estate was given to the Akali family on rent. According to him, their father pleaded that he had nowhere to live. Although the place was a swamp, he promised to help his client’s father reclaim it, and it was subsequently given to him.
“He lived there for over 30 years. The property has registered title documents, including a Certificate of Occupancy, and the owner is still very much alive. The Akali family occupied the land without paying rent for many years.
“At one point, some members of the Rufai family approached him to buy the property, but he declined. He built a church and shops on the land and collected rent from tenants.
“Since he was collecting rent, my client’s father decided that he should also pay rent to the family,” he said.
Babalola said he subsequently paid rent in instalments, but there was never any agreement to sell the land to him.
He said the holder of the Certificate of Occupancy was unaware of the developments on the property until the man’s death.
The lawyer said they were surprised when his children claimed that their father had bought the land, adding that they were pursuing an unjust cause because the land belongs to the Rufai family.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mrs. Titi Oshodi, denied any involvement by ministry officials in the demolition.
“There is Physical Planning, and there is Urban Development. The officials who carried out the demolition were not from our ministry.
“They could have been from the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) or the Urban Development Department,” she said.(NAN)
