Residents of Ilepa Community in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State have protested against former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s alleged bid to illegally acquire their landed property worth 2,500 hectares.



The residents of the area raised the alarm over the alleged plan to demolish their buildings towards acquisition of their lands by the former president.



The placard-carrying protesters, who came to the Iwe Irohin House of the Nigeria Union of Journalists Secretariat in Abeokuta on Wednesday, pleaded with the state government to intervene and save their buildings from being destroyed.



Some of the inscriptions on the placards read, “A man is not a man until he has his own home. Obasanjo do not destroy our homes,” “Obasanjo, a tribal chief or statesman?”, “The purported demolition of our land is illegal,” “Demolition of houses is demolition of destinies.” “We reject relocation to another place” and “OGD, Please come to our rescue.”



The community had accused Obasanjo of complicity in the alleged plot to dispossess the Community Development Associations of their landed property.



The residents and landlords of the community also marched through major streets in Abeokuta to protest the alleged plot by the ex-president and some others in connivance with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital to dispossess them of their lands.



The protesters had claimed that the landed property was allocated to the hospital management 20 years ago, saying, however, that LUTH failed to develop the property.



The residents alleged that in pursuant to relevant laws on land after neglect, the land automatically revert to the original owners who are the villagers.



They added that the development prompted the landlords to buy the lands from the original owners, saying that majority of them had built their houses and residing in the community for over 10 years.



The protesters, who spoke through their spokesperson, Mr. Peter Idowu, sated that officials of LUTH had already came to the residents and landlords of the areas to issue ‘relocation order’ to them.



He said, “The hospital officials arrived the community with megaphone announcing that we should quit the land with ultimatum of 100 days. They just came telling us to leave in the next 100 days or have our houses pulled down.



“We bought these lands from the original owners, who sold them to us after the failure of the LUTH authority to develop it, and by law, the land has been returned back to the original owners who are the villagers.”



Idowu who raised the alarm that the ultimatum would expire in the next 50 days, said investigations conducted by them revealed, however, that it was some personalities in the state which include Obasanjo who were interested in taking over the land from them.



“We have established the facts that Obasanjo is the arrowhead to acquire the community with force under the cover that the LUTH is re-claiming the land,” he added.



He also claimed that the town had about two million residents with at least 10 Community Development Associations and 13 villages under it.



But Obasanjo has said that he does not own any parcel of land in Ilepa, Ifo Local Government in Ogun State.



Reacting to the protest of some residents of the community in Abeokuta on Wednesday, Obasanjo denied owning any piece of land in the community, asking them to conduct their investigations very well before unleashing their anger on an innocent person.



He said this on the telephone on Wednesday through one of his aides, who consulted with the former president before speaking with our correspondent.



He said, “I don’t own a piece of land in Ilepa; so, I don’t know why they could be protesting and pointing accusing fingers at me. I suspect they might be protesting concerning the land at Pakoto, where the LUTH annex is sighted.



“If that be the case, the residents should speak with the Federal Government, who acquired the land for LUTH. They should get in touch with LUTH management and the Ogun State Government, who approved the land.



“They should equally make efforts to consult their leaders, who should be able to tell them more. The truth, however, is that I don’t own any land in that area.”


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009163202815

The protesters were plain mischievous trying to drag former president Obasanjo into a matter in which they the wrong party. The land in question was acquired by LUTH over thirty years and has its College of Primary Health situated and functioning for about twenty five years.These protesters just bought into a fenced up expance of land and demolished the fence to build their houses. They jumped into this with eyes open. So they shouldn’t blame anyone for their woes.

Classic omo-onile palaver.
They're just dragging OBJ into their foolishness because it's politically expedient to bash him.

Baba iyabo is innocent on this,and i trust and belive that ogun state govt will never give anybody approval plan on this land.the entire community just fell into omo onile hand. I will advise them to better rellocate or go to court to extend the vacation order.

This old man is stil acquiring up to 2500 hectars at his age.

This old man is stil acquiring up to 2500 hectars at his age

greed has no yardstick.