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Christopher Oji
Displaced residents of Foweseje Community, Lakowe, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State , have cried out over alleged violation of court order and illegal demolition of over 600 houses in the community by an organisation claiming ownership of the community land.
The leaders of the community , Chairman Ajenifuwa Victor and Secretary , Akpowenre Okiemute, alleged that the issue on the demolition of their property was still before the court and wondered why the defendants in the case have taken the laws into their hands in defiance to court order.
The complainant in a suit No.ID/794/2011 is seeking an order returning their lands to the original owners and payment of compensation of N18 billion for damages done to their properties where over 600 buildings were demolished contrary to an earlier court order restraining both parties to stay action pending the determination of the case.
The residents had cried to the Lagos State government for help over the ‘Illegal’ Mass demolition of their buildings by the organisation claiming ownership of the community land.
It has been a long drawn legal tussle between the community and the organisation as far back as 2011 and the case was recently transferred to Epe High Court and scheduled for June 26, 2019, before the organisation allegedly invaded the community with thugs to demolish houses.
“Despite all the court proceedings which lawyers of the organisation attended all through and despite the fact that the judge had earlier ruled that all parties should maintain status quo pending the determination of the case,it also granted an accelerated hearing in the case. They invaded and demolished our buildings,” they said.
Chief Nojeem Fatai Arimi Ojomu, Adisa Fatai Ojomu and seven others who are claimants in the case alleged that the defendant is acting in concert with the defendants powerful connection with an investment company entered into Fowoseje village and bulldozed their buildings /properties and traditional enclaves and economic tree of the claimants without any court order or order of judgement.
The claimant’s said the defendants used their powerful connections and have continued to terrorise them, thereby ,subjecting them to continuous agony and threatening through their officials to come and demolish the entire Fowoseje village and the building that were still on the land.
The claimants averred that the conduct of the defendants have inflicted adverse, untold and unimaginable trauma, hardship and misery on the claimants and other land owners and occupier of Fowosho village land.
The Bale of Fowoseje Chief Nojeem Fatai Ojomu in his letter signed on January 17, 2012 to the Chairman Adhoc Committee, titled Fowoseje Land matter and addressed to the House of Assembly Complex, Governor’s office, Alausa had appealed for mercy in releasing their land to them so as to continue living on their ancestral land.
According to him, “ Fowoseje was and has never been seen as a controversial land, therefore,j it belongs exclusively to us and our family as an estate of inheritance. We and our family are customary owners of Fowoseje village, and the land through our ancestors, have been exercising diverse and undisturbed act of ownership including cultivating some portion of the land without any challenge from anybody.
“Due to our friendliness and unalloyed accommodation to strangers, we have in the past assigned a large portion of our land to various people who have built houses on their respective land. And they are living in there with their families. “Therefore, we are the customary owners of Fowoseje village and at no time we diverted our title and our ancestor’s home or land known as Fowoseje Village to anyone or group.
“To our surprise, we discovered that the Investment floated by some ‘powerful individuals’ invaded our land.Consequently, upon this,the company has been offering/selling our land at Foweseje Village as much as N3, 300,000 per 450 square meters per plot.
“As if that is not enough, on October 9, 2010 ,the company with its powerful connections and instrumentality entered into our land and bulldozed buildings/properties and traditional edifices and all our means of livelihood.
