The Mogaji of Ile Patako, Sharafadeen Alao a.k.a (Oba Skibo Layeye) has called on the Inspector-General of Police, Governor Seyi Makinde to as a matter of urgency intervene as some land grabbers invaded his family land at Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State.
He also called on the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division, Odogbo, Ojoo, Ibadan, to call his men to order as they are being used to threaten them whenever they visit the land.
According to him, when we discovered that some land grabbers has invaded my family land, I had to go and report at OC Monitoring office at Police headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan.
“The police went into action by visiting the land and they met a bulldozer there which they took the bulldozer away and asked the leader of the land grabbers to come to The office with their evidence to the ownership of the land.
“Instead of them to follow The police instructions, what we saw next was that they came in hundreds with dangerous weapons and stationed themselves on the land boasting that if anyone is sure of himself, that person should endeavour to come to The land to claim ownership. They brought in cultists to destabilize the whole place.
“Instead of the land grabbers to show at the OC Monitoring office, it’s the owner of the bulldozer and the driver that showed up and they came begging and at the end of the day, the bulldozer was released to them.
“When the land grabbers were not forthcoming, we had to write a petition to OC Monitoring at Abuja. We were invited and we all went but unfortunately the land grabbers didn’t show up.
“We sued them to court. But unfortunately today, what we saw was that some soldiers from Ido Division were seen stationed on the land. What I know is that the duties of soldiers is to go to protect its citizenry not to be stationed on people’s land. What they told us was that their superior gave them the order to guard the land.
“As a result of this, am calling on the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakunlehin and the IGP, Egbetokun to caution these land grabbers.
“The soldiers threatened to kill us whenever we try to come back to the land. The soldiers were shooting indiscriminately. They also threatened us that they will kill someone and drop the dead body on the land and claim that we did it.
“The soldiers are helping to shield the land grabbers to do corner piece on the land and unfortunately, the land in question is in the court. They even claimed that they will kill me if I ever venture to come to the land.
“Am only following the rule of law if not so I would have shown them the type of person I am but as a law abiding citizen that’s why am calling on the mighty in the land to call them to order.
“I can’t imagine when soldiers have now become a shield for land grabbers. I’m appealing to the GOC 2 Division to come to our rescue as we can no longer visit my family land as a result of his men that are being stationed on the land.
“Some of the boys that came along with the land grabbers claimed to be Sunday Igboho boys. I want to state categorically that Sunday Igboho is not a thug and he doesn’t support hooliganism and as a result, they’re only trying to tarnish his image. We learnt that they are from one ‘Tunde’ .