By Bose Adelaja

A FIRST time visitor to Agunfoye, a sleepy community in Igbogbo-Bayeku Local Council Development Area, LCDA, of Ikorodu, Lagos State, will not fail to notice a signboard at the entrance with the bold legend: “Welcome to Agunfoye, the land of peace”. But it is a claim that is contradicted by the reality on ground as the  people in the community have not known peace for years owing to incessant attacks by hoodlums.

This unfortunate development has forced many residents to flee the community, while the few still remaining are now in living in palpable fear.

The most recent of the attacks on Monday March 26, left a resident dead, scores injured, while the rest were rendered homeless as the hoodlums embarked on illegal demolition of structures in the town.

Although there are claims that normalcy has returned to the town, but Vanguard Metro’s visit to the community last Wednesday revealed that tension has taken over the entire community as residents live in fear of what will happen next.

Some of the residents told VM that trouble first reared its head in 2009 at the Idi-Orogbo area of the community when its former traditional ruler, Chief Akeem Alagbala Adeyoruwa, a descendant of Igbogbo, allegedly introduced an estate agent to the town who demanded that owners of  buildings there pay the sum of N90,000 to him.

It was an order that did not go down with most people, especially when the idea was later hijacked by hoodlums whose involvement triggered off fracas which led to the destruction of lives and property before the state government intervened in the matter.

Also in 2010, the traditional ruler was ousted by one Chief Ishau Kolawole Ogunlana popularly called “Baba Ol’oda”, a paint dealer and descendant of Agunfoye, through a court judgment. As soon as he assumed office, Ogunlana introduced a solicitor who mandated each building to pay N500,000 as ratification, failure to comply which will attract severe punishment.

Having waited for some months without due cooperation from residents, Ogunlana was said to have moved into action on Monday March 26, 2012 and embarked on demolition of some structures belonging to the erring residents.

A former CDA chairman of Agunfoye/Idi-Orogbo, who pleaded anonymity, said the exercise came without prior notice. “Around 5pm of that day, we saw a bulldozer which descended on our houses. Before then, some hoodlums had arrived the community and many residents were beaten up.

...Some of the buildings demolished during the invasion

“Also,  people were not allowed to salvage their belongings. Some of the hoodlums also announced to those who cared to listen that nobody can question their authority as they have the backing of the Lagos State Head of Service in the person of Mr. Segun Ogunlewe,” he said.

Although Agunfoye/Idi/Orogbo CDA chairman, Mr. Akindele Akinbode, said the case was incidented at the Igbogbo Police division and arrests made, he also claimed all the suspects have been released, with some of them not only walking freely in the community, but have  made the only primary school in the community (Salvation Army Primary School) their place of abode.

The presence of the suspects, he added, has continued to send disturbing signals to residents that another attack was in the offing. According to Akinbode: “Our community has witnessed several attacks from land speculators, the most recent  being from Chief Ishau Kolawole Ogunlana who has continued to make life unbearable for us. He claimed to be the sole owner of the land, threatening to demolish our houses which he eventually did.

“The height of it was on April 26, 2012 when he came with a pay-loader and started demolishing the buildings. Many of us were beaten up and injured. Even the drainage system and road grading which we had expended money on were stopped. Our lives and property are no longer safe as we witness strange occurrences on daily basis”.

Victims bitter experiences
Some victims who spoke with VM recounted how they lost valuable items after one of such demolition exercises during which many residents sustained injuries. When VM visited the community, it was evident that many residents had indeed been displaced, with some still receiving medical treatment, while others have fled the town.

A tenant, Taiwo Akande, lost his aged mother to the fracas orchestrated by the hoodlums. ‘’The exercise lasted a whole day and many people scampered for safety. I was not around when it started but I got a distress call from my wife, but before my arrival, my mother was half dead and we rushed her to the hospital where she gave up the ghost the following day,’’ he informed amidst tears.

My children’s school fees gone
Recounting her ordeal, Mrs Idowu Jayeoba said the hoodlums invaded her ‘face-me-I- face-you’ apartment, raided all the rooms before carrying out the demolition.”The  attackers made away with the N15,000 I kept for my children’s school fees,” she said.

Mrs Sofia Aremu, Mrs Rashida Akinola and Mrs. Ola Oyelese who are phone call dealers in the area said they lost a total of N70,000, being the amount realised from the day’s business, in addition to some pairs of shoes, clothings and electronics items.

Feasting time for hoodlums
Narrating his own ordeal, another victim, who simply gave his name as Baba Temilade, said:  “My wife had just cooked a pot of soup before leaving the house on that day and the hoodlums arrived around 6pm and sent all of us parking and by the time I came back the following day, the whole soup had gone with all the drinks at home’’.

A Cherubim and Seraphim prophetess also told VM thus: “I was on the Mountain for some days and I arrived home the previous day with some gift items, beverages, clothings, drinks and the sum of N50,000; but all these have gone”.

VM  findings revealed that the dethroned traditional ruler is now bedridden and has left the town to seek solution to his ailing health.

But the residents have since taken the matter of their insecurity to the state House of Assembly when they on April 18, 2012 protested there, a move  which attracted a visit from the House.

However, efforts to reach Chief Ishau proved abortive as he is believed to have gone underground and his cell phones switched off. But a Police source informed that  there are many influential interested parties in the matter, a situation which, he said, has tied the hands of the Police.