A landed property measuring 12 acres and belonging to Zuma Rock Products Limited at Ewu Oje village, Shimawa, in Ogun State has pit the firm against Adron Homes and Property Limited.

Already, the Chief Executive officer of Zuma Rock Products, Bob Ufomadu, is accusing Dr. Adetola EmmanuelKing-led Adron Homes of deploying arm twisting tactics to force him to give up the property with a registered conveyance.

Ufomafu said the land was acquired in 2011 from Osogayan Oromuti Oje family of 61 Isote Street, Makun, in Sagamu local council.

Upon acquisition, it was learnt that the property, which serves as a plantain plantation with a housing quarter for Zuma Rock staff, was fenced and gated.

Ufomadu told newsmen that since he bought the land 10 years ago, he never had any confrontation or litigation with either the community or the Oje family or anyone else in any court.

That was until recently when officials of Adron Homes allegedly attacked him in a bid to forcefully take over the 12 acres of land.

According to him, his ordeal in the hands of Adron Homes began on August 4, 2020, when the real estate developer allegedly sent people to forcefully remove the boundary fence demarcating his land from the others.

Ufomadu claimed that the illegal action by Adron Homes was captured in a video by his staff, which prompted Adron representative on-site to request for a meeting with him.

He said: “At the meeting, held on August 18, 2020, the representative of Adron Homes offered me 15 acres of land at Agerige area of the same town for the 12 acres.

“I refused the offer because I have already spent millions of naira developing the land, which is now a plantain plantation,” he added.

Newsmen also obtained a letter by Adron Homes and Property Limited, corroborating the offer of 15 acres of land at Agerige, Shimama to Zuma Rocks Products Limited.

One Idris Akande, Head of Legal and Clients Service Department, Adron Homes and Property Limited, signed the letter addressed to the managing director of Zuma Rocks Products.

In the letter dated August 20, 2020, Adron Homes clearly stated the reasons for its vested interest in the 12 acres of land belonging to the company.

It stated that the 12 acres is completely surrounded by lands purchased by Adron Homes.

The firm said its interest is to acquire the said land to properly align it with already acquired land bordering and surrounding the area.

“As a show of faith, we have gone ahead to purchase a-15-acre land at Agerige Village, Shimawa, Ogun State, a location which is a developed area with access road, internal road network and electricity. 

“Our company is ready to replace your 12 acres of land with our 15 acres at Agerige, Shimawa, Ogun State,” he added.

But Zuma Rocks, in a letter dated September 28, 2020, turned down the offer, stating that Adron Homes wrongly assumed that it was going to sell its 12 acres of land when it had not indicated any need to do so.

The letter also noted Adron Homes’ argument in its proposed letter that its core concern is the fact that it acquired all the lands surrounding its property, adding: “we respectfully do not see it as an obstacle. The town planning authority, which approved your surveys is much aware of our own approved survey and should by law provide rights of ingress and egress for our holding.”

It, however, urged Adron Homes to “make known all other undisclosed corporate reasons why it was interested in the land as such would enable them to make an appropriate review in light of its commitment to its shareholders, foreign partners and contractors”.

After he rejected the offer, Ufomadu alleged that Adron Homes has resorted to continuous intimidation, harassment, and threat to his life. 

According to him, Adron Homes blocked the general access road to his land and those of other stakeholders in the area, prompting him to report the case at the Sagamu Police Divisional office in December 2020.

But Ufomadu noted that his nightmare worsened when Adron Homes included the police in the plot to scheme him out of the farmland.

He alleged being molested by the real estate developer because of the landed property.

When newsmen contacted the Adron Homes and Property Limited, newsmen was directed to Akande, head of Legal and Clients Service Department.

Akande, who claimed to have details of the matter, however, refused to comment despite a senior official of the real estate company asking him to oblige the reporter with what he knows on the matter.

Meanwhile, Ufomadu is expected to return to Abuja tomorrow, for a rescheduled meeting with all his original papers on the land in response to a petition purportedly written by Adron Homes for alleged trespasses.

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