Residents of Olu Ayodele Street of Iloye Olokuta Community Development Association, Sango, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, have accused a trader, Kabiru Badmus, of constructing a mosque and other structures on a waterway.
The residents said the development had led to flooding in the area.
They claimed that they had complained to the Ogun State Town Planning Authority Zonal office at Ota, but nothing significant was done to address the matter.
The community said sometimes in 2024, officials of the Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning had a meeting with some representatives of the community over the same issue, but nothing concrete had been done.
But Badmus, in an interview with newsmen, denied the allegations, maintaining that the disputed area was originally designed as a close, not a through road.
The residents insisted that unless the government pull down the structures allegedly built on the waterway, the flooding challenge in the community would only get worse.
The Chairman of Iloye Olokuta CDA, Oluremilekun Adekunbi, said that the community, through interfacing with the government, had tried to find a way out of the crisis, but not much progress had been made.
Adekunbi said the “illegal structures, had caused untold hardship for the residents who had to grapple with flooding because the water flowing out of the community could no longer find its way.
The community leader warned that the issue, if left unresolved, was capable of threatening the peace of the environment in no distant future.
Adekunbi added that “The person who erected the fence is claiming to have bought the land while those from our community are also laying claim to it. So, it is the duty of the government to wade in and get this matter resolved once and for all.”
Speaking with our correspondent, an 85-year-old retired secondary school principal, Pa Olu Ayodele, whose building is adjacent to the disputed fence, insisted that the layout approved by the government clearly designated the area as a street linking to Bamisebi Street, not a close.
He said he registered the street in 2000 after relocating to the community and possessed documents to back his claim.
“The implication is that the erected fence and other structures have blocked the natural path of water flowing out of this community. Most of us on this street are usually flooded whenever there is heavy rainfall because the water cannot find its way,” he said.
Ayodele added that the matter had been reported to the town planning office as far back as 2008, with officials visiting again in 2024 and marking some structures for possible demolition, but no enforcement action had followed.
“The right thing is for the government to pull down these structures and restore the community to its original plan. Another rainy season is approaching, and we don’t know what will happen,” he said.
Also speaking, an 83-year-old landlord, Pastor David Oladapo, bemoaned the flooding of his house whenever it rains because the waterway has been blocked.
Oladapo said that though he actually met the street blocked, he is also not spared from the effects of the blockage, calling on the state government to help with the removal of the obstruction
He said, “I just want the government to step in and remove whatever is blocking the street and making us live in fear and anxiety whenever it rains.”
Other residents corroborated the allegations, expressing frustration over what they described as government inaction.
Mrs. Afolashade Fasinu and Mrs. Florence Ojo, who accused the authorities of failing to enforce the community layout plan, said the street had existed for years before it was allegedly blocked and built upon.
“The government has invited some of us to the Governor’s Office in Abeokuta. Ministry officials have also come for inspection and marked some places with red ink, possibly for demolition, but nothing has been done.
“The government should follow the approved chart and apply the law so that peace can reign in the community,” they said.
Dismissing the claims, Badmus said he and three others bought the plots from landowners in 1991, adding that one of the buyers later died while another sold his portion.
He added that following intervention by government officials, he agreed to break part of his fence and sacrifice a room in his compound to allow water flow.
“All the allegations are not true; we have taken this matter before officials of the town planning office in Ota and even went to Abeokuta.
“I have done nothing against the law, and I did not block any street. That place is closed. If Mr. Ayodele will tell you the truth, he knew that his property was on a flood plain before buying it,” he said.
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