By Bose Adelaja

His seemingly fixed countenance reminded one of a frowning mask as he approached this reporter. He indeed cut a frightening picture with his long, talon-like finger nails, his torn trousers and dirty long sleeve shirt tied at his waist.

Sweating profusely, he stood arms akimbo while his reddish eye balls blinked repeatedly as he appeared from a nearby spot and ran after this reporter shouting at the top of his voice.

‘’Hey, stop there, you don’t look like one of us. I saw you as soon as you alighted from the motorcycle near the Baale’s house and I have been following your movement. Can you explain your mission to this community…?’’ he asked in an unfriendly, hoarse voice.

‘’Good afternoon gentle man, I have been sent to find out your challenges in this community, to see where and how we could be of help before the next elections…’’

Looking satisfied with the response, he stretched both hands, stamped his feet on the ground in salute and said: ‘’Twale mama, carry go. See, we get challenges here o, no water, school and good road. This place na suffer, suffer; I beg, make you tell Fashola to remember us o’’. Having delivered this sentiment, he returned to his abode.

That was an encounter last weekend at Ilemere, a sleepy community in Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area of Lagos which suffers glaring lack of potable water, accessible road and schools.

As the name suggests, Ilemere means a swampy area and this is aptly demonstrated by the fact that the community is a stone throw from the ocean such that on several occasions, some structures have been submerged, especially during a downpour.

From the popular Ibeshe town, a ride to Ilemere on a motorcycle can be likened to a thread passing through the hole of a needle. This explains why only few tricycle, cab or commercial bus operators would dare to ply the only unmotorable road leading to the community.

In the past, Ilemere was a market community which served both Ajah and Ikorodu axis until it was submerged some decades back. The major occupation there today is fishing, but this is being seriously threatened as residents claim the water had been polluted due to dredgers’ activities.

On a good day, a ride from Idi-Oro bus-stop, Ibeshe town, usually attracts between N150 and N250, depending on the time of day, a situation which has necessitated workers resorting to trekking. In fact, some of them informed that they now leave their homes as early as 3am, trekking to the nearest communities.

Apart from lack of infrastructural facilities, a walk round the community revealed that Ilemere is sitting on a keg of gun powder due to the activities of local dredgers, though some of the residents claimed the development had been reported at both the Ministries of the Environment and Water Resources without the desired response.

One of the community leaders who pleaded anonymity said the Ministries’ representatives to the community have been paying lip service to their plight. ‘’On several occasions, government has sent representatives to curb the activities of the dredgers but all they do was to tax the dredgers and soon they’re back to business, thus leaving us, the residents, to our fate,’’ said the community leader.

‘’When I came into this community about a decade ago, the ocean was very far from us but gradually dredging has almost taken over the town. Madam, any moment from now, most of these buildings would be submerged (pointing to the ocean). Can you see how close we are to the ocean ?’’ said a resident Mama Tunwase.

In early 2014, a notorious land grabber (names withheld) was said to have held sway, as he threatened all and sundry with impunity. He was then said to be fond of riding around the community in his motorcycle, reflective lights shining and siren blaring. But in spite of this seeming security presence, the homes of many residents, including that of the Community Development Association, CDA, chairman, were repeatedly burgled.

Last December 2014, a strange letter was pasted round the community informing residents that armed robbers would visit the community during the Yuletide period, a situation which threw the entire community into fear.

The letter informed that the unwanted ‘visitors’ would be coming to the community by water and the operation would be carried out house to house.

The letter had immediately sparked a public outcry which attracted the Nigeria Police which swung into action by embarking on a patrol of the area on round the clock basis. A few days later, a team of policemen from Ipakodo Division, led by the Divisional Crime Officer, DCO, Sunny Akaeze, stormed the community around 2am, that is on the Christmas eve, after a tip-off. In the event, seven people were arrested.

But rather than expressing appreciation, some of the land owners almost hijacked the occasion, questioning the audacity of the policemen who arrested a suspected armed robber (names withheld).

VM’s findings also revealed that as early as 7am, some of the residents besieged the police station to identify the suspects except one who was fingered to be behind some dastardly acts in the community. The policemen were said to have waited for days for these residents to sign the papers which could aid them in prosecuting the suspect but none of them showed up.

During VM’s visit, some of the residents pointed accusing fingers at the land owners. ‘’The dredgers did not receive the support of the CDA and this has angered the land owners who have been threatening the CDA. They are suspected to be the brain behind the letter but who are we to question them?’’ one of the residents said.

Meantime, the CDA has denied being involved in the arrest as the Secretary of the Ilemere/Oropodi CDA Mr Ogunlna Babatunde, claimed he was not briefed about it. ‘’This is strange to us. We are aware the Police are patrolling the town but nobody informed us of any arrest,’’ he said.

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