Ogun Communities Reject Three-Day Quit Notice, Claim Ancestral Ownership of Land
Leaders of 15 communities situated behind the Ogun State Government Secretariat at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, have rejected a three-day evacuation notice issued by the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun, insisting that the land in question is ancestrally owned.
The community leaders faulted the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development for directing residents to vacate their homes without providing any alternative relocation arrangements.
Speaking on behalf of the affected communities over the weekend, the Village Head of Itori Mogan, Chief Oludare Salako, said residents were taken aback by the proposed demolition, noting that the matter is already before a court of law. He explained that the affected villages have existed for nearly 300 years.
According to Salako, residents have been subjected to continuous harassment by government officials, culminating in the issuance of a three-day evacuation notice. He expressed concern over what he described as unjust treatment of long-established communities.
Also speaking, the Village Head of Ogunro Community, Chief Olakunle Bodunde, decried what he called persistent intimidation of residents through repeated demolition threats. He appealed to concerned citizens and stakeholders in Ogun State to intervene and persuade the government to reconsider its decision.
Bodunde urged well-meaning individuals and groups to come to the aid of the affected communities and prevent what he described as a forceful takeover of their ancestral land.
In response, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, dismissed the claims of the community leaders, describing the occupants as trespassers who had encroached on government-owned land.
Akinmade challenged the communities to produce Certificates of Occupancy or any other legal documents to substantiate their claim to the land, insisting that the property belongs to the Ogun State Government. He argued that the issuance of eviction notices itself was evidence of government ownership.
He added that unless the residents could present valid documentation showing legal ownership or illegal eviction, they had no basis for their claims.
