By Abdulwahab Abdulah & Daniel Alfred

LAGOS — The Ayobo Community Development Association, ACDA, yesterday held a rally to protest the incessant violence unleashed on the community by some alleged land-grabbers.

The protest which took members of the community to the headquarters of the Ayobo-Ipaja Local Government Development Area, LCDA, and the state House of Assembly, Alausa, Ikeja, was led by the chairman, Central
Working Committee on land crises, Mr Oluwasegun Sonibare, who expressed the pains and deaths that had occurred due to the activities of the said land-grabbers.

According to Sonibare, who called on the government at the state and federal levels to prevail on the thugs being used by the land grabbers, said this is the time for the government to be more concerned over the crisis before the situation got out of hand.

He said members of the community had become  helpless as their efforts to make the security agencies be on top of the situation had failed.

He said the land-grabbers had become lords who were dreaded by government and the masses.

According to him, “these thugs seize and sell people’s land carelessly, preventing construction work  and generate endless pandemonium in the community. We are disappointed by the police who have refused to arrest and prosecute the land grabbers, but we believe it is not too late for the police to have a change of attitude by doing their constitutional duty.”

Present protest letter to Ayobo LCDA boss
Presenting their protest letter to the council boss, Prince Bisi Yusuf, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaja Falilat Ajijola, the community urged the council to help them in preventing what they called “turbulence in the area.”

Sonobare said in a bid to stop these acts of violence, on  June 6,  2008, the traditional ruler of Ayobo, Oba Arole Idowu Ojo-Ijo, on behalf  of  Kadunmise Ateye, led five other chiefs including the late Chief Najimu Tiyamiyu Bada, Baale of  Bada village, Ayobo who died in the process, to institute a court action in the High Court of  Lagos State, Ikeja  against Chief Arimiyau Bello Ekundayo in suit No ID/882/2008.

He said on the July 3, 2008, Justice Lawal  Akapo granted an order of interim  injunction,  restraining Norouf Owonla, aka Kaka, his agents, privies  and servants from  executing a judgment being carried around and directed him to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

“The order is still in force and his army of thugs who is terrorizing our community everyday have refused to sheath swords,” he said.