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Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Oyo Zone, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, are currently at loggerheads over disputed land, measuring 96 plots, which is approximately 16 acres at the Ayetoro Scheme in Oyo town.
Both parties are currently laying ownership rights on the land, which has attracted the attention of the Oyo State Police Command. The leadership of Atiba Police Station on Tuesday invited the CAN coordinator in Atiba and the case, as gathered, would be transferred to State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Iyaganku, Ibadan.
Some aggrieved members of CAN in Oyo Zone has staged a peaceful rally recently against the decision of the first-class monarch to allegedly dispossess them of the disputed land.
But on Tuesday, the association raised the alarm in Ibadan that the monarch wanted to sell the disputed land to some investors in the town.
The Director of State Issues and Social Welfare of CAN, Bishop Daniel Oluwajimade, said on the matter: “The matter is very simple and very strong. Almost about 16 years ago, the Christian Association of Nigeria bought 16 acres of land from the local government council in Oyo. They have been paying the yearly tenement rate to the local government council. They discovered that there was encroachment on the land and they began to pursue the matter.
“Eventually, they discovered that it was the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi that encroached on the land. Today, the Police in Oyo town invited the CAN coordinator in Atiba to Atiba Police Station. Eventually, the case is being transferred to Iyaganku in Ibadan.
“The land is not owned by the CAN in Atiba Local Government council Area but the entire CAN in Oyo town. We in the state executive were in a meeting when we heard, so we all came. We work in team and when there is an issue that relates to CAN, regardless of anywhere in the 33 local government councils of the state, we are all concerned.
“Our demand is that Oba Adeyemi should off his hands from that land. It is not his land. The land belongs to CAN. The zone paid for it. Nobody, no matter the level, has the legal right to claim that the land belongs to him. The only entity that can withdraw the right is the local government but there is no basis for that since CAN has not defaulted till date.”
But in a letter made available to journalists in Ibadan on Tuesday, Oba Adeyemi stated: “Ordinarily, it is not in the practice or tradition of Oyo Palace from time immemorial to engage in public controversy with any sector of Oyo Community, especially on religious matters.
“For the record, the land hitherto named as Ayetoro Scheme is erroneously referred to as the entire area is known as ‘Gbofin’ which incidentally is one of the ancestral stool land of the Alaafin with approximately 1,118 plots as against the 96 plots claimed to have been owned by CAN; and Alaafin has been exercising ownership and in so doing, some parts of the land were allocated to members of the royal family without any consideration and have been inhabitated by them or their allottees for a reasonably long period of time with over 2,000 buildings without disturbance from any quarters including Atiba Local Government.
“It is also on records that it was through the instrumentality of the Alaafin that such reputable and highly revered religious bodies like Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, Catholic and of late, Pentecostal churches were provided with auspicious land settlements in Oyo. This magnanimity goes to the extent of the Alaafin providing space for Sunday Church service in His palace.
“However, it is suprising that not done with this misleading and malicious publication, some people, defying protocol put in place by the government to check the spread the COVID-19 pandemic took to major streets of Oyo, protesting over same matter.
“To allege that the Alaafin of Oyo is not only trespassing or attempting to grab the said land is not only absurd but alien. Can the owner of the land be a trespasser or grabber of his own property? It looks not only absurd but paradoxical for a group who supposedly parade themselves as godly people to be involved in fraudulent claims over land that was not only illegally transferred to them by Atiba Local Government as claimed, but also fraught with inconsistencies as against the Alaafin who had surveyed and registered the same land since 1996.
“It is equally interesting that the so-called self-styled owners to the land have no certificate of occupancy or any law of survey on the land. The Alaafin is disheartened to note that the apex body of a religious organisation in Oyo Zone could prudently choose to ignore the path of honour to ventilate its grievances, if any, in a court of law and resulted to self-help of destruction of properties and disturbance of lawful possessions of the occupants in place.”
