By Ebun Sessou

No fewer than 15,000 residents living in Surulere village, Suberu-Oje in Alagbado, Lagos state now live in fear as some unknown miscreants regularly invade their community, making life uncomfortable for them. One of the residents who spoke to Saturday Vanguard lamented that more than 200 thugs in 15 vanagon buses recently invaded the community, armed with dangerous weapons, damaging property and rendering thousands of families homeless.

According to the resident who preferred anonymity for fear of being victimized by the hoodlums, said the miscreants most times come in the mornings pull down gates to different apartments, break window glasses and cause resident to vacate the estate lest they would be killed. Most families have abandoned their homes while others who have no other place to go, sneak out during the wee hours and return at nights for fear of being attacked.

A visit to the area revealed a near deserted and desolated estate with some iron gates pulled down and windows shattered. Another resident told Saturday Vanguard that the hoodlums threatened that they should vacate the estate, saying that they had secured a court judgment to take over the place. “We are on the verge of losing our homes to some unknown persons who have been unleashing terror on us.

“It is a daily occurrence; they attacked one Iya Ade a few days ago, injuring the family. So far, properties worth several millions of naira have been destroyed. “These people call themselves ‘masses’ and say they act on behalf of the Federal Housing Authority. We know the FHA did not acquire the place. “The landlords there have been victims of attack. My children and I have been sleeping at different places outside our home.

“There was a time we called in the police, but surprisingly, they came again the following Monday in droves. They came in about twenty loaded buses, harassed us, and damaged some property. In one of the apartments, they would have killed somebody as they dropped a big rock on the roof of the building, but it went right into the toilet of the building where a resident was. It was by a dint of luck that the big stone did not hit the occupant. It would have been a different story”.

Mr. Nurudeen Adewale who is in charge of the estate told Saturday Vanguard that a petition had been sent to the Federal Housing Authority, adding that the miscreants might be using the FHA to wreck havoc.

He added that the masterminds of this unholy act had already taken a dismissed judgment to the Appellate Court without listing the parties involved in the matter so that they can appropriately defend themselves, adding it was an act of illegality and judicial abnormality. He however stressed that all legal means will be exploited to seek justice.

Beyond that, he cried to the police authority to provide adequate security to the place. “The police authority should come into the matter; these people are desperate and since they continue to harass and damage people’s property, they might kill somebody and we don’t want the issue to degenerate to that level before the police do what is right. One of them has even threatened to kill me and that is why I am crying out” he said.