Sept. 12, 2023

The House of Assembly in Ogun on Tuesday asked the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately look into alleged illegal arrest and detention of innocent residents of the state.

Mr Olakunle Oluomo, the House’s Speaker, while making the request during plenary in Abeokuta, said the arrests and detention were on trumped-up charges by the police.

He alleged that they were also being done in connivance with some suspected land-grabbers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lawmakers had taken turns to report rampant cases of land-grabbing in their various constituencies.

They spoke while contributing to a debate on the second reading of the State Anti Land-Grabbing (Amendment) Bill.

“Hundreds of innocent residents of the state have continued to languish in the various detention cells of the Police Force both at Alagbon in Lagos and the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

“The detentions were due to the connivance of land-grabbers with some security agents against innocent members of the public,” Oluomo said.

He pleaded with the Inspector-General of Police to wade in to ensure that innocent people were not made to suffer on account of trumped-up charges.

“All land-related matters should be charged to court, and I can promise that the new amendment to the bill will ensure the constitution of a task force by the State Government to handle land-related matters,” the House Speaker said.

Earlier, while opening the debate on the bill, the sponsor, Damilola Soneye, lamented that the issue of land-grabbing had become rampant in the state.

Soneye explained that there was the need for the amendment to make the law more effective and efficient.

Other lawmakers who spoke said the activities of land-grabbers had been hampering the peace, progress and development of the state.

“Hence, there is the need to take a holistic approach towards addressing the menace,” the bill sponsor said.

Also, during plenary, the Ogun State Legislative Funds Management Law, 2023 and the Ogun State Official Orders of Precedence of Public Officers and Other Persons Law, 2023 were considered.(NAN)