- I now move from one hotel to another, says Oba Oparinmade
- ‘They’re asking each landlord to pay N20,000 to return to their houses’
When Oba Amos Oparinmade ascended the throne of his forebears as the traditional ruler of Omu-Ilase in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State, he never in his wildest imagination thought a day would come when he and his family members as well as other indigenes of his kingdom would be rendered homeless and even chased out of the town by anyone.
But now, Oba Oparimade and hundreds of the indigenes of his Omu-Ilase and Koka communities live like refugees outside their ancestral homestead after they were ejected from their houses and even chased out of the town by suspected armed land grabbers allegedly aided by some policemen. The monarch himself and members of his family were humiliated by the land grabbers before they were sent out of the palace. He now lives in different hotels separate from the members of his family.
Even churches, mosques and schools were not spared by the armed land grabbers, who allegedly also sealed off all the houses of worship and educational institutions within the communities.
The displacement of these residents and traditional ruler was said to have followed a court judgment granting ownership of the land to the Agbaje family, after a legal tussle between siblings in the family.
Our correspondent gathered that about 20 years ago, the oldest member of the family of the land owners, Moses Agbaje, sold a large portion of the land to residents of the communities before his younger siblings identified as Sunday Agbaje, Adeniran Agbaje, Suleiman Agbaje, Ademidun Agbaje and Poju Agbaje dragged him to court for disposing their father’s land without their consent.
The younger siblings were said to have succeeded in retrieving the sold lands in court.
It was as a result of this that there was pandemonium on January 17, 2020 at Omu Ilase-Ijesa and some parts of Koka communities, where the Agbaje family land purportedly extends, when suspected land grabbers, allegedly escorted by policemen and armed thugs sacked the monarch, many landlords and tenants from their homes.
It was gathered that the land grabbers with the support of the hired armed thugs allegedly broke into the community’s palace, chased Oba Oparinmade, his wife and children out and completely removed the palace’s roofing sheets.
The land grabbers also invaded other houses in the communities same day, chased the occupants out and locked up the buildings.
Our correspondent learnt that some landlords and residents, who tried to resist the land grabbers during the invasion, were assaulted with some of them sustaining injuries during the melee that broke out in the sleepy communities. Omu Ilase-Ijesa and Koka share boundaries with the Osun State University main campus in Osogbo, the state capital.
When our correspondent visited Omu Ilase-Ijesa, the community was deserted as only few residents were sighted. Our correspondent also sighted some fierce-looking suspected thugs manning the main road leading to the community.
A landlord in the community, who summoned courage to speak with our correspondent, said the few landlords and residents left in the community paid the land grabbers a sum of N20,000 each demanded before allowing them to return to their homes.
The landlord, who declined to be identified for fear of being attacked, said, “It was like a war when the Omo Onile (land grabbers) invaded our community. They did not notify us before. I for one, was not aware that the land I bought had been a subject of litigation in court. We just discovered that there was confusion in the community and some people were running helter-skelter when the land grabbers came with policemen and thugs armed with guns and cutlasses.
“They sacked everyone, assaulted some and locked up our houses. On the night of that day when these Omo Onile noticed that so many families did not have any other place to sleep, they asked us to pay the sum of N20,000 each so that they would open our houses and allow us to stay for some time.
“I and others paid and ever since the invasion, every resident has been living in fear. These thugs that they brought have been living with us and monitoring the community to ensure that no one gains access into their homes. Even our traditional ruler was not spared. We want the government to come to our aid because we have evidence of buying the land and now the same family wants to take it from us forcefully.”
Churches, mosques, schools and houses shut in the community were marked with the inscription: “Possession Taken HTC.”
Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, the monarch, Oba Oparinmade, appealed to government to come to his aid and that of his subjects.
The traditional ruler said he and many residents of his domain had been rendered homeless after the invasion by the land grabbers.
Oba Oparinmade said, “I want Osun State Government to help to save my community from this attack and harassment. These Omo onile invaded us without notice. They beat my people and molested us. They parked the belongings of some residents during the attack in the name of executing a court order.
“I think they should have notified us even after the purported court order. They invaded my palace, sacked me and my family and also removed the roofing sheet of my palace right before my eyes. Since I left the palace, I have been moving from one hotel to another and I have not been able to live together with my wife and children.
“I cannot even guarantee the safety of my property, my documents and my wife’s gold trinkets in the palace. These people (land grabbers) have gone beyond what the laws say. They started collecting N20,000 from each resident before allowing them to sleep in their homes; is this extra money for the land they have bought or what? This is day light robbery!
“This land was sold to people by the family head of Agbaje and now the siblings and the family head sacked us from our homes.”
But efforts by our correspondent to get the reaction of the Agbaje family proved abortive as the telephone line of the family head, Mr. Moses Agabje, did not go through.
