Ajambata residents cry to Gov. Abiodun over attack by landgrabbers
Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
A medical practitioner with the General Hospital,Ota,Dr Kunle Adeniyi and one other person,Mr Seun Omosanya last week sustained severe injuries as they were attacked by hoodlums allegedly sponsored by a notorious land grabber, Chief Mutairu Owoeye.
The two persons were attacked in Ajambata in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government area of Ogun State.
The Traditional head of the village Chief Oluremi Odunaro,while narrating the incident said the thugs, numbering about twenty swooped on the village with dangerous weapons which made the residents scampering for their lives.
The Traditional head said the hoodlums entered their village at about 2pm, shouting that the residents must leave as the land they occupied hundreds of years back now belong to the client of the notorious land grabber.
Chief Odunaro said the attack was not the first, adding that they have suffered several attacks from land speculators in the past, which had claimed three lives, with many others wounded.
Speaking further,he said all the attacks were masterminded by Chief Owoeye who at every time has been claiming that his clients were the owners of their land.
The Traditional head said that at every attack, just like this one, they reported the matter to the police at the Atan police division but the police had never made a single arrest as Chief Owoeye may have bribed the police before his thugs would carry out the nefarious attacks.
Chief Odunaro called on the State Government to save them from constant attacks by Chief Owoeye.
He alleged that the land grabber had sold all the land they were using to farm and he was hell bent on selling the land the villagers built their houses.
One of the persons who sustained severe injuries in the recent attacks, Mr Seun Omosanya, an artisan narrating his ordeal in the hands of the hoodlums during the attack, said about six of the hoodlums descended on him, beating him with dangerous weapons which made him sustained severe injuries.
He lamented that with blood stains all over him,he ran to the Atan division of the Nigeria Police to report and the men told him to go and treat himself and report back so that they could effect the arrest of the hoodlums who are always stationed at the entrance of the village.
He said he reported back to the police division, only to be told to go to his house that the hoodlums would be arrested.
“And up till now, nobody has been arrested for the crime by the police,”he explained.
Our reporter visited the village and at the entrance under a shed, some young men about fifteen of them sat there chatting.
Some of the villagers who pleaded for anonymity said the hoodlums were those young men and that they live in perpetual fear because the boys may descend on them any time.
It would be recalled that the land grabber allegedly shot dead a young school leaver, Mr Bidemi Akinde some years back at Oke Ore village in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government and was arraigned in court following which he was remanded at Ibadan, Abeokuta correctional facility.
Chief Owoeye spent about three months in detention before he found his way out of the correctional facility.
Our reporter put a call through to Chief Owoeye on on phone on the incident but he said the boys were not from him.
