The various customary land owners have been deprived of their ancestral land, they claim that the committee set up has been misusing the trust vested in them..

Some of the families are angered by the fraud been perpetrated by the purported committee by selling their land without their consent.

In view of the above, some families are in tussle with the committee and they want their land released to them without having to deal with the fraudulent committee.

The committee also have vow not release land to the customary landowners. Therefore both parties engaged several land grabbers and thugs to take control of the site.

The families and the Eyin Osa Resettlement Committee, Lagos State, are both lamenting the continued encroachment on their land by suspected land grabbers.

The committee alleged that land grabbers, recently invaded the expanse of land lying, being and situate at Ilamija, Eyin Osa, Epe Expressway, Epe, with thugs and policemen from the Lagos State Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (task force).

It also claimed that land grabbers invaded the property last Tuesday and demolished some property in a bid to take over the land despite the intervention of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa.

ASKLEGALPALACE had reported that the Lagos State Government acquired landed property of the community for a project in the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

The customary landowners were, however, compensated with land as the administration of the landed property was given to the Eyin Osa Resettlement Committee.

However, the family and committee had been battling thugs, and suspected land grabbers with state machineries, who reportedly sold the property to unsuspecting individuals and developers.

The family said land grabbers first invaded the land in 2022 and chased away lawful occupants.

“Our properties have been demolished and fenced up by land grabbers and their thugs under the protection and watch of the task force,” the community said in a statement.

The auditor of the committee, Dada Yesiru, said anyone who acquired land without the involvement of signatories of the customary family inclusive the committee was a land grabber.

He said, “That land in question belongs to the various customary families comprising Eyin-Osa community comprises of various customary families. Land grabbers came to our land and started erecting a fence in which the matter has been reported to the Commissioner of Police.

“Some notorious land grabbers sold the land to them. But anyone who wants to buy land there and customary families and our signature does not appear, that means the person bought fake land, because we are the rightful owners.”

ASKLEGALPALACE had reported on June 16, 2023, that the Lagos CP, Idowu Owohunwa, in a meeting at his office, urged all parties to maintain the peace.

The meeting was attended by Murphy; ACP Shola Jejeloye of the Lagos Task Force, and Lagos State Security Trust Fund member, Dr Ayo Ogunsan, alongside members of the Eyin-Osa community.

During the meeting, some of the land grabbers claimed that they purchased land from the committee and some said the family.

But Owohunwa said a careful review of all claims showed that some sellers and whoever he represented were not recognised by the Lagos State Government, thereby rendering any transaction conducted with them invalid.

He said the committee acting as the trustees was the legitimate body overseeing and having a valid Certificate of Occupancy issued by the government.

When our correspondent reached out to the Press and Public Affairs Officer of Task Force, Raheem Gbadeyan, over the allegation that the task force accompanied Murphy to the property, he requested pictorial evidence.

He said, “There are times when people see any policeman wearing tactical jackets and they believe he is a task force official, but not all policemen on the road wearing tactical jackets are from the task force. If there is any pictorial evidence, send it and I will know how to react.

“The truth of the matter is that task force is not land grabbers; what we do is try to enforce the law, create a kind of sanity, and mediate between two people to restore law and order. So, it is not about supporting someone against the other.

“However, sometimes, our officers only give security backups to certain agencies and so the agencies in this regard would be in a position to respond to things like this.”

He, however, responded via WhatsApp after viewing the pictures our correspondent sent to him.

“I cannot say precisely that the vehicle is ours, but I will get back to you,” he added.

He also did not respond to a text message sent to him.

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