Close to 40 years ago, the Lagos Government was accused of taking fraudulent possession of 549 plots of land belonging to the Adeyiga Family and others who were the former Shangisha Landlords. These lands were used by the State Government to set up the Magodo Residential Area without the families being adequately compensated by the Lagos State Government thereby causing years of protracted confusion and communal unrest in the area.
The matter was taken to the Lagos State High Court in 1994 by the aggrieved landowners, and the Court ruled in favor of the Shangisha Landlords. In a bid to overturn the ruling, the State Government took the matter to the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal in 2001. The Appeal Court validated the High Court’s judgment and mandated the government to return the lands to their original owners.
Unyielding, the state government escalated the case all the way to the Supreme court in 2015 and the Apex Court’s judgment was for the Lagos State Government to allocate the disputed 549 plots of land to the original owners of the land before it was “fraudulently acquired over 38 years ago” which was in line with the subsisting judgment from the High Court and the Appeal Court. But the State Government refused to implement this judgment, which has created a lot of chaos for the Magodo Residents culminating in the pandemonium witnessed today.
The dispute took a dramatic twist yesterday when Court Bailiffs and Police Officers were accompanied by street urchins to enforce the order of the Supreme Court. Residents were shocked to see armed officers escorting thugs as they flooded Magodo, dishing out threats and promises of imminent demolition of buildings in the area. They also went on to mark numerous houses with the inscription, ‘Possession taken today by court order.’
Consequently, the Magodo Residents Association (MRA) announced a joint protest against the court order which could result in possible eviction from their homes. As a matter of high priority, all the residents were advised to show up at both entry gates in solidarity. The memo read as follows: “Please be reminded that due to the planned protest tomorrow 22nd December 2021 as agreed by residents in the Estate due to the recent police invasion, there will be a total closure of both Shangisha and Secretariat gates effective 6am. There will be no going out and coming into the estate. All residents are advised to join the protest at both gates.”
In compliance with the memo, the gates were locked at the said time which created crowdy gatherings in the latter hours of the morning. Entrance and exit of residents were also prohibited, creating what seemed according to a resident like a hostage situation. Many residents expressed displeasure over the situation, wondering why it was possible for one’s home to be threatened despite the legal process undergone in acquiring it. “If you have an issue with the Lagos Government, you go to them…you did not transact with the current residents,” a resident voiced vociferously.
Regrettably, very little information was available to the hundreds of people outside the gates, most of whom were partly or totally oblivious of what was transpiring.
In response to the situation, the chairman of the MRA, Mr. Segun Shobajo, granted an interview to The Journal. He lamented about the possibility of current residents coming back to meet a demolished home. Corroborating that, he cited the case of a bulldozer which has already been set in place by a certain Adeyiga family. He said, “We had an invasion by the Adeyiga family using the power of the police. They invaded us and took possession as you can see, they took Illegal possession of houses and they wanted to bring in a bulldozer to start immediate demolition of houses which is why we have closed the gate and exit has been disabled, because if you go out you might just come back and meet a pile of rubble instead of your home. That is why we are here.”
The Representative from the State Governor’s Office, Princess Bolanle Bada, arrived at the scene around 10:57am accompanied by Lagos state Special Operations officers to issue an apology from the State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who said that the State Government was unaware of the situation as of last night and is present now to intervene.
The representative from the Governor’s office stated that the State Government was solidly behind the residents, and that the intended demolition actions were carried out without the knowledge of the State Government, emphasizing that even with the Supreme Court Order, such brazen actions were not to be taken without alerting the Governor’s office.
The State Governor’s delegate promised that the issue would be resolved, and that a statement would be issued by the Attorney General of the State in a few hours time in order to calm frayed nerves, assuage the residents and to assure them that the State Government is capable of taking care of whatever happens within the state.
Bolanle Bada further stated that the Governor’s office was not at fault, and came as soon as the information got to them. She assured residents on behalf of the governor that this will not happen again and also apologized for the events that have already taken place. She encouraged everyone affected to return to their regular activities for the day.
For the residents and those who work within the estate, a semblance of normalcy has since been restored due to the government’s prompt intervention but palpable tension is still in the air for all concerned parties, especially house owners in the estate who are understandably restless and anxiously waiting to see what the next line of actions would be as the aggrieved landowners are tired of the State Government’s non-compliance with Court orders and unending dilly-dallying over the matter, appearing determined to recollect their lands by all means this time around.