BY Abdulwahab  Abdulah

An afternoon rain, yes terday, destroyed property of residents of  Araromi, Ilepa-Pakoto in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, victims of new year eve demolition exercise carried out by the authorities of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, with the protection of a military/police team.

It was gathered from the victims that the military team was sent by the state government.

One of the victims of the demolition exercise, who preferred anonymity told Vanguard that the demolition exercise came so sudden that they  could not arrange any alternative place to preserve their property from the rain.

Another victim, said that they were thrown into sorrow and lamentation on the eve of the new year, when their houses were demolished by the authorities of LUTH’s primary health centre.

According to him, the state government had promised to intervene in the controversy over the ownership of the land claimed by the authority of LUTH contrary to the position maintained by the original native owners of the land, who also claimed ownership of the vast land, occupied by the victims.

A victim told Vanguard that over 20 officials of the state task force accompanied by heavily armed military officials and the police came in the early hours of Tuesday to embark on the demolition exercise without consideration for their property and houses they spent their life saving to build.

He said the moment the demolition team arrived, they wasted no time in embarking on the demolition of the houses, which he said was met with little or no resistance from the house owners, since majority of them were not around, while those at home were intimidated by the presence of the armed military team.

Narrating his ordeal, another victim said: “When we heard of the planned take over of the land by LUTH and Ogun State Government, our delegation visited the state governor, who directed our team to meet with the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, who promised the government intervention to prevail on LUTH, so that an amicable solution could be found.”

He added that the officials of the state government only served the residents with notice to quit withing seven days, noting that the notice from Ogun State Government Urban and  Regional Planning Board and Development Control, titled Contravention Notice was pasted on their homes, a week earlier, before they were demolished on December 31.

Meanwhile, the state government has denied the involvement of the state government in the demolition, saying it only assisted in helping the Federal Government to implement the law.