From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Some unknown soldiers have allegedly stopped the ongoing construction of the federal government’s housing estate at Alagbaka area of Akure in Ondo State.
The armed security men were said to have stopped the site workers, claiming to have acted based on an order from above.
The construction workers engaged by the estate developer handling the project, Medaville Construction Company Limited were reportedly chased out if the site by the soldiers.
The workers on site told Journalists that the solders who were three in number pounced on Medaville Estate and ordered them to stop work.
The site manager lamented that such unlawful act aimed at grabbing the land and halt the Federal Government housing project was becoming incessant.
To this end , a lawyer, Mr Femi Emodamori has petitioned the Federal Government, Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services over the illegal activities of the soldiers.
He described the invasion of the federal government-owned Medaville estate project as unacceptable and threat to lives of the workers at the estate by the soldiers.
The letter reads “the land is part of the Government Reserved Area at Alagbaka, Akure which had been acquired by the state government over 50 years ago and subsequently released to the federal government for developmental purposes.
“Consequently, the land is surrounded by Federal Government structures like the Police headquarters, Federal Secretariat Complex, Nigerian Immigration Service, National Identity Management Commission and the Nigerian Customs Service.
“Our client has constructed substantial housing units on the land and delivered them to the Federal Government, while massive developments are ongoing on other parts of the land.
“To our client’s shock, a detachment of soldiers from 32 Artillery Brigade (Owena Barracks, Akure) invaded the estate in a Toyota Hilux Van branded in Army colours with “32 Brigade” inscribed thereon, with numerous casual workers who started unloading blocks and other construction materials onto the land.
“The soldiers informed our client’s representatives that they were providing security cover for the casual workers by the top command of the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, supposedly based on the request of an Army General who claimed to have purchased some plots on the land from or through Town Planner Falola (the Federal Controller of Lands in Akure) and Martins Omorinbola (another official of the Federal Ministry of Lands), both of whom are in the Akure Office of the Federal Ministry of Lands and Housing, Federal Secretariat, Akure. Our client has however found out from top officials of the Ministry that the claim of the officers is not only ridiculous but completely false and impossible.
“The Chairman and Managing Director of our client, Otunba Akin Benson, spoke with one Major Chris Uche at the 32 Artillery Brigade on telephone number 08153997252, who confirmed the narration of the armed officials who invaded the Estate.
“Again, on Saturday February 3, 2024, the same military officials brought a bulldozer to the site and started demolishing some of the German floors our client constructed on the land. The officers also forcefully stopped our client’s workers from further working on the land, threatening some with fatal consequences if their illegal order was not obeyed.
“Already, there are two pending Suits in Court between our client and some of those who had previously attempted to grab the same portion of land invaded by the Army. In the first suit (AK/258/2020: Medaville Buiding Construction Limited v. His Royal Majesty Oba Aladelusi Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo & 2 Ors), the Deji claimed in his Defence that there was an understanding between the State Government who acquired the land over five decades ago and the indigenous people of Akure that a small strip thereof would be reserved as sacred ground for rituals, although the Kabiyesi could not provide any document to substantiate that bizarre claim.
“The Suit is pending at the Ondo State High Court, Akure and we have attached our client’s Statement of Claim (Annexure C) and the Deji’s Statement of Defence (Annexure D). While the above case was pending, some officials of the Ondo State Government equally attempted to grab the same portion of land, after failing to coerce our client to ‘settle’ them with some irrational and offensive personal demands.
“In 2023, the officials of the State Government later thereafter began claiming that the State Government did not release that portion to the Federal Government, about 14 years after our client began developing the land to the knowledge of the same State Government officials, and despite the fact that the State Government approved some of the documents and plans for the development of the land,” it added.