Tension mounts in Aduralere community as residents vow to resist invasion by land grabbers
Residents of Aduralere community in Abeokuta have been thrown into panic and confusion with fear as land grabbers are planning invasion of the community claiming the possession of the entire hectares of land in the community.
Aduralere community comprises six Community Development Associations (CDAs) with over 5,000 houses and over 15,000 residents living in the community which is a stone throw from the personal residence of the state chairman of All Progressive Congress( APC), Chief Yemi Sanusi.
The chairman of the community, Mr Olayinka Monday Adebisi narrated that they are fake land owners and unknown to the community since they settled down in the community.
He explained that most of the residents have been in the community for over 30 years adding that the plots of land used in building their houses were bought from Iresi family without any issue with valid and authentic documents
Explaining further, Mr Adebisi noted that when the people were building their houses, there was no issue or disturbances from anybody claiming the owner of the plots of land, saying that there was no sign of warning in the community for the residents to desist from buying land in the community.
The community chairman said that what was strange to the residents was the invasion of the land grabbers with pasting of notice that the parcel of land belonged to their family.
“Since their invasion in the community, the residents have been living with fear which has also claimed lives of few people in the community,” the chairman said.
He said that efforts have been made to calm people down adding that Save Our Souls have been sent to the Governor of Ogun state, Prince Dapo Abiodun and Speaker, Ogun state house of Assembly, Rt Hon. Oludaisi Elemide for prompt action to avoid the community being turned into a theatre of war between the residents and the land grabbers.
Recently, the community has written the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, under whose domain the community falls for a visit so as to intervene and explore royal fatherly role to nip the impending violence and crisis in the bud so as not to jeopardise the peace in the state, the community chairman hinted.
“They refused to negotiate, what they are after is each house to pay five million naira each to them as the cost of reselling the plots of land. The development of the entire community was responsible by the residents from road grading, provision of street lights, construction of bridges and culverts to link each street and the six communities together, provision of community schools, churches, community mosque and other basic amenities.
“Where were they when we bought our lands to build our houses and provided those basic amenities? You cannot build on nothing, they better go elsewhere if they are not looking for trouble,” Mr Adebisi said.
The community is therefore calling on the governor of Ogun state, Prince Dapo Abiodun and Rt. Hon. Elemide, Speaker, Ogun state house of Assembly, Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo and well meaning Nigerians to as a matter of urgency intervene in the matter in order to avoid unwanted crisis because people are really charged and tensed to resist them from encroachment.
Mr Adebisi said that when all the residents bought and built their houses in the community from the Iresi family, there was no problem, “Why is it that when the man died, they now came forward claiming the ownership of the acres of land?”
