Firm petitions IG over DPO’s alleged involvement in land grabbing

By Jane Echewodo

A FIRM, Segment Shade Trading Company has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris over an alleged involvement of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ebute-Ero Police Station, Lagos Sina Olunlade in a land grabbing matter.

“The firm through its lawyer, Mr. Evans Ufeli in the petition dated February 16, 2017 claimed that DPO Olunlade went beyond his official duties on January 31st, 2017 by personally supervising the destruction of properties and goods worth millions of Naira belonging to the firm.“

Narrating how the incident started, Ufeli stated that a property of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development was allocated to his client by a letter dated June 24, 2012 and that by the letter, his client became the legitimate licensee of the said property.“

He noted that the land on which the property is located was acquired by the Federal Government vide Notice No. 308 of February 8, 1964 and published in a Gazette No. 20 vol. 51 of February 8, 1994.

“While pointing out that the piece of land is a road set-back by the Apongbon fly-over bridge constructed by the federal government pursuant to the acquisition of the land, Ufeli noted that one Abudu Smith family later made claims to the said land and is currently contesting the ownership of the said property with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development at the Federal High Court Ikoyi Lagos .“He further narrated that while the matter was in court, on November 22, 2014, thugs allegedly directed by one Kehinde Olalekan Smith and led by one Segun Ottun attacked his client on the said property and destroyed their shops in an attempt to forcefully dispossess his client of the land.

Our client lost goods worth millions of Naira to the rampaging touts as their shops were utterly destroyed. The case was reported then to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department Yaba, Lagos.

The police instructed the Smith family to stay away from the said property. However, Smith Abudu family sometime on June 18, 2016, came to the said land again after the matter was struck out of court, with thugs to demolish the entire lock-up shops of our client.

In view of the above, the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing wrote a letter to the Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Zone II Police Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos Island dated July 25, 2016 requesting for police protection for our client to enable them reconstruct their lock-up shops unlawfully demolished by the hoodlums employed by the Smith Family.“In his response, Mr. Sina Olunlade, denied personal involvement in the matter, saying that it is a civil matter, agreeing however that there was demolition in the building.

‘The demolition was carried out by unknown persons but police is ensuring that there is no break down of law in the area.

I am aware of the matter which was reported here. As with most civil cases, we advised the parties to go to court over the matter. I have no personal interest in the matter and will not meddle in a matter over ownership of land or property. The court is the right place to handle such matters and we advised them to go there”, the DPO noted.

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