A Lagos-based human rights lawyer, recognized solely as Mr. Abiodun, has challenged the Ondo State Anti-Land Grabbing Unit to confiscate any parcel of land that may be traced to him in reference to an ongoing property dispute in Igba Neighborhood, insisting that he has completely little interest in the contested land.
The lawyer, who accused the company of dragging him right into a matter by which he has no stake, alleged that the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force was dabbling in points already earlier than a court docket of competent jurisdiction.
Talking with journalists, Abiodun maintained that he neither owns land within the Agbondin or the Igba neighborhood nor has he visited the world within the final 45 years.
“I’ve by no means wrestled with anybody or contested land possession with anybody, dwelling or useless, in that neighborhood,” he declared.
Throwing down the gauntlet to the duty pressure, he stated: “Let the Anti-Land Grabbing outfit lengthen to me NO Audi Alteram Patem (hear the opposite aspect). Allow them to seize any land remotely linked to me, both connected to my identify or by any type of proxy. That is a neighborhood I’ve not stepped my foot in for 45 years, discuss much less of associating his identify in any land grabbing points. Allow them to point out the identify of anybody with whom I’ve had even the slightest land altercation on the so-called Agbonden Uloko. My calling is to assist in giving succour to the oppressed, the unvoiced and the vilified inside our midst with none strings in any way.”
Nonetheless reacting, he stated the dispute centres on a contested property in Igba Neighborhood the place a bricklayer, Ojo Ajisafe, is engaged in a authorized battle over household inheritance.
He alleged that influential people with pursuits within the land had mounted a sustained marketing campaign of petitions to a number of authorities establishments in a bid to stress their opponents.
In accordance with him, petitions have been submitted to the Nigeria Police Force, the Division of State Providers (DSS), Amotekun Corps, the Ondo State Ministry of Justice and the state’s Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force.
The lawyer questioned why his identify featured in one of many newest petitions regardless of his insistence that he has by no means owned land in the neighborhood, by no means litigated over any property there and has not visited the world in over 4 a long time.
He alleged that Olaleye Awonusi, whom he accused of laying declare to huge parts of land in the neighborhood regardless of present court docket judgments, had continued to function with impunity, claiming that he’s now ‘His Royal Majesty’ towards a earlier directives by the state governor towards the set up of any chief in Igba neighborhood, because it doesn’t fall inside the Epe land, the place the Yangede holds sway.
“However all of that didn’t dissuade them from such unlawful act. They carried on anyway with impunity and put in Olaleye Awonusi as Olu, an odd title unknown to the Ondo Royal Stool. However he was not accomplished. He questioned the distinction between the Atuashe of Warri title of Olu and subsequently adopted similar appellation, asking all to accord him similar respect of HRH or vacate his self acquired area not rooted in historical past, and by no means dominated over by any king of his ancestry. A site lined by court docket judgements belonging to a different. Such is the impunity cascading the Ondo East Native Authorities.”
He additional alleged that regardless of police investigations reportedly authenticating the court docket judgments being relied upon by Ojo Ajisafe, the findings have been rejected, prompting what’s now described as “discussion board buying” by these dissatisfied with the result.
Abiodun stated he had no prior relationship with Ajisafe and solely turned concerned after an Ondo lawyer, Chief Femi Akinbinu knowledgeable him that the bricklayer had spent weeks in detention on frivolous petitions.
He stated he merely contributed in the direction of Ajisafe’s authorized bills with none expectation of private profit.
The lawyer additional alleged that the principal determine behind the petitions, recognized solely by the alias “Ina njo Ogiri Osa,” had initially sponsored Ajisafe by buying a motorbike for him, giving him monetary help and paying N500,000 in authorized charges to Femi Akinbinu on account of that poor boy, earlier than their relationship allegedly deteriorated over the sharing sample of his then adopted son’s inheritance.
He additionally alleged that the octogenarian later aligned with events who had misplaced earlier court docket instances over the land and was now leveraging his connections inside the Ondo State Authorities to guard investments allegedly acquired by way of doubtful means.
In his phrases, the harassment continued even after police investigations reportedly cleared the bricklayer of wrongdoing.
He alleged that recent petitions have been subsequently despatched to Amotekun, the DSS, Police Headquarters in Akure, Police Zone 17, the State Felony Investigation Division of the Ondo State Police Command, FCID Alagbon in Lagos, the Ondo State Anti-Land Grabbing Unit, the Ministry of Justice in Akure and the Police Submit in Igba.
He additionally alleged that Awonusi’s newest petition to the Anti-Land Grabbing Unit expanded the scope of the allegations to incorporate anybody perceived to be sympathetic to Ajisafe, together with himself.
The lawyer additional alleged that the second most senior official within the Ondo State Ministry of Justice, who’s due for retirement in a couple of months, was working to guard a two-acre parcel of land allegedly obtained freed from cost from ‘King’ Awonusi and was aggressively pursuing monetary beneficial properties which can change into helpful in retirement.
Insisting that he has no private curiosity within the disputed property past what he described as humanitarian help for an oppressed bricklayer, the lawyer maintained that anybody who believes he has violated the regulation ought to search redress in court docket as an alternative of embarking on what he described as frivolous petition writing.
Abiodun, who holds a Grasp of Legal guidelines (LL.M.) diploma from the College of Lagos, is a human rights activist and social reform advocate whose fame, based on the assertion, has been constructed over a number of a long time of authorized apply and public service.
He then recalled financing the prosecution of a number of instances, which included a murder case a couple of decade in the past after allegedly encountering the impoverished mom of a younger man whose head had been slashed with a machete by a rich farmer in a village close to Ondo.
In accordance with him, he persuaded then Commissioner of Police Hilda Harrison to reopen the investigation, whereas the prosecution was dealt with by Ministry of Justice officers Mr. Segun Akeredolu and Mrs. Omotola Ologun earlier than Justice Bola sentenced the accused millionaire to dying by hanging.
Abiodun stated he personally funded the prosecution and quietly assisted the sufferer’s mom financially to determine a small buying and selling enterprise, insisting that he neither sought nor obtained public recognition for the intervention.
“It is what I’m wired for, to offer succour to the oppressed and voice to the unvoiced. I actually don’t have any apologies,” he concluded.
