Agege Stakeholders comprising the traditional council, clergy, CDC and CDA's, community leaders, residents, market men and women, youth groups and persons with disability in Agege local government council area of Lagos, on Wednesday in Agege Lagos, called on the Ayo-Odugbesans, a party to a land in the local government council area whose ownership is a source of dispute between them and the Agege local government council, to allow the court decide the true owners of the land and stop harrasing Officials of the council, especially the Chairman
At a crowded press conference which held in the palace of the Olu of Agege in Agege, the stakeholders called on the Ayo-Odugbesan's to desist from using the Nigeria police force and the anti corruption agencies in harassing and intimidating the Council chairman Hon. Kola Egunjobi and his management team for performing their constitutional functions.
The press conference had in attendance the Olu of Agege Oba Kamila Isiba, the Ologba of Ogba Oba Lateef Egbeyemi Oladimeji, former council chairmen in person of Elder Rotimi Adeshina the 4th executive chairman of Agege local government, chairman of CAN Agege branch, Chief imam of Agege, Baales, CDC's, CDA's leaders and others.
Chief Owolabi Dada, the first executive chairman of Agege local government, read the press text where the stakeholders affirmed the ownership of the land as the property of Agege local government council and alledged the Ayo-Odugbesans of encroaching on the land just like other illegal encroaches who have been removed from the land.
The stakeholders lauded the council chairman Hon. Kola Egunjobi for standing firm to his oath for the collective interest of Agege people and vowed to take up the battle of the fight for the land because of their knowledge that it's a just cause for the people of Agege who are the rightful owner.
They alledged the Ayo-Odugbesan's of resorting to self help by deploying the Nigeria police force and the anti corruption agencies to pursue a matter already instituted in court and wondered why the Ayo-Odugbesan's as lawyers seemed not ready to wait for the court to adjudicate on the matter.
The stakeholders also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Inspector General of Police to Wade into the matter in order to avert a breakdown of law and order.
The press text is attached below.
According to the text read "we have watched with displeasure the conflict between Agege Local Government Council and a former Deputy Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Edward Ayo-Odugbesan, and his wife, over the council's land at 47 Old Ogba Road where the couple illegally built the demolished Edwards Private School.We say the council's land because as Agege stakeholders with an average age of 65, all that concerns the land in that corridor where demolished MKO Abiola Market was situated, happened before our very eyes and thus we can confidently assert that we are witnesses to the historical fact"
They dislcosed further that they were key players in the council's legal acquisition of the Abiola Market land which extends to the portion that the Ayo-Odugbesans claim ownership of, and have been parading a bogus survey plan and C of O to bolster their fraudulent claim.
While we welcome the couple's recourse to court. So to speak: to seek redress over the demolition of their school built on the land in question, we dislike and are unhappy with their resort to self-help, intimidation of our council officials and blackmail, particularly of the Executive Chairman of the council, Alhaji Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi whose only sin against the Ayo-Odugbesans is his strict commitment to the oath to protect the interest of Agege which he swore to.
We make bold to say the land in question is ours, as we were part of the process that got the land released from the state government and are shocked at the supposed claim of ownership of the Odugbesans to the land in question
Also, the attempt by the Odugbesans to claim ownership of the land is not out of place, as several of such cases abound, but trying to intimidate council officials carrying out their official duties is condemnable, provocative and vexatious
However, we want to commend the Council Chairman, High Chief Ganiu Kola Egunjobi for standing firm, to defend the treasure of our dear local government. Our forebears will be happy with him for resisting and rejecting any attempt to compromise on his path to protect our collective heritage
We are by this medium telling the world that the battle over this land is for the people of Agege, and not that of Egunjobi or any council official.
We, the stakeholders in Agege local government council, would not sit back and allow the former Ogun House of Assembly Deputy Speaker and his wife to grab our land, embarrass, intimidate, and harass the council officials and cause chaos in our community in particular and our cherished Lagos State in general.
On that basis, we the people of Agege local government council call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Inspector General of Police to note and call to order the Nigeria Police and the anti corruption agencies notably the EFCC and ICPC who are being used by the Ayo-Odugbesans to harass and intimidate our council officials who are merely carrying out their official assignment.
Instead of the couple's mischievous and diversionary allegations against the council officials, they should allow the matter to run its full course in the court of law.
As lawyers, they should know better, that in a situation like the one at hand, the court is the final arbiter and should be accorded due respect.
While we wait for the court to adjudicate on the matter and make pronouncement, we wish to intimate the whole world that we shall henceforth be the face of the battle and ensure that our priced common heritage is not illegally taken away by desperate politician.
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