A businessman in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital, Mr Johnson Samuel Olubode, has appealed to security agents in the state to come to his rescue over the destruction of his properties allegedly by Adron Homes.
He also accused the management of Adron Homes of threatening him over some acres of land which he claims has all necessary documents that was approved by the Oyo state government.
Johnson, while speaking with journalists in Ibadan on Thursday said, “I bought the land since 2009 and got the C/o in 2010. Since then, I have been using the land, which is about 23.3 hectares of land, for farming purposes at alugi-eganarin- Bako- fenwa area of Ibadan.
“About three years ago, some land grabbers came with bulldozer to clear the land. Though I was not around then, I came back to Ibadan and we went to the Iyanganku Police Station and provided all the documents showing that I am the rightful owner of the land.
“The Awofenwa family, headed by (Mogaji Olajumoke), Sunday Oladosu Olayori, that sold the land to me came up and testified to the fact that they sold the land to me. So, we thought everything was over but suddenly, last year, they came back again, sent all my workers away from the farm. I have fisheries, chickens, pigs on the farm and I built 5 bedroom flat on the land for the workers as well. When they came, they demolished all my pens, destroyed all my farm produce to the extent that all my workers ran away.
“So, when they could not gain full entrance into the land, they went to Lagos State to use officers of SARS. Around March, 2020, they came to Ibadan fully armed and picked me up at the presence of DPO of Apata Police Station while the DPO was trying to settle the dispute amicably, I was whisked away to Lagos. Before then, I have been taken to different Police Stations in Ibadan, when they couldn’t achieve their aims, they took me to Zone 11 Command Headquarters in Osogbo in which we were asked to seek redress in the court of law while they were equally advised to seek peace amicably.
“Despite producing all my documents to where they took me, they insisted that we should go and settle the dispute between ourselves.
“I and some others who genuinely procured the lands have written several petitions to his His Imperial Majesty, Olubadan of Ibadaland, Oba Saliu Adetunji Ajeoguguniso 1. Up till now, nothing concrete by the palace. How can a company be so powerful to the extent that it excesses cannot be curtailed and contained?
“A week after, they used another dangerous trick to implicate me by burying some arm and ammunition on the farmland but, as God will do it, my workers in the farm saw them when they brought those things and kept them somewhere. So, I reported to Iyanganku and the DPO sent some officers to go and retrieve the ammunition so that they would not come the second day to implicate me.
“All along, SARS issue came in and we could not follow up because my workers (bricklayer and my brother) were taking away to the burial ground to go and kill … but thank God that the people living around there shouted that they should not kill someone on the ground. So, they released them. We were to follow up the case to the court because I reported to the Commissioner of Police, who signed and sent my petition to SARS at Dugbe.
“I alleged them of kidnapping. So, it was during that process that the ENDSARS came in and we could not follow up on the issues. When I saw the magnitude of what they did to my brother, I had to stall going to the Police station and resorted to going to the Palace of Olubadan to help us settle the matter. We did but could not get a very good result.
“Meanwhile, the Awofenwa family that sold the land to me had gone to court and got their judgment and they were only waiting for execution but it could not come because the fathers in the family are very old and could not easily move. And their lawyer is also a lawyer to baba Olubadan, Lawyer Ajewole. We have been going to him and always tells us to be patient.
“Now, they are erecting fences on the same land, which I don’t want them to continue but we have to use force on them. They always come there with a number of thugs, carrying dangerous weapons and I don’t want a situation where they will kill someone on the land. So, that is why I want to take a legal channel to recover my land.
“Adron Homes and properties are behind this because all the stations we have been to, their lawyers use to follow all those land grabbers and one of their staff, Sanya by name, use to come along with the same land grabbers. Even the last time we went to SARS, one of the officers told me that they were given 750,000 Naira to kill me and, on that day, the lawyer to Adron Homes, and that Sanya equally came to Lagos, SARS Office at Adeniji Adele. And up till now, they have been working on the land, fencing it.
“So, it is Adron Homes that engineered those thugs and the land grabbers. Now, my life is being threatened because I have been receiving series of calls since then. There was even a time I ran to hide at Woro, around Igboho, Saki area in Kwara state for almost two weeks. That was why I was not around during the protest they did in Olubadan House. It was during that time that somebody called me that I should come down to say my own version of the story, which I did.
“As it is, Adron Homes knows me properly and I felt if they want me to settle the issue properly, they should call me. I don’t need to call them because the land belongs to me. From the onset, they knew they were dealing with landgrabbers. They knew. That is why they have been using thugs.
“I believe if some is a bonafide owner of the land, you don’t need to be using thugs. You will rather go to court instead of using thugs and land grabbers. So, if they say they are the owner of the land, which is in my possession, I have my C/o and I have been paying the government the required yearly due. Showing them the documents alone should tell them I am the real owner of the property.
“They have destroyed a lot of my properties. All my 50 workers have run away for their lives. I also have the pictures of all the pens they destroyed. So, I am not selling land to anybody in Alugi Egun Arin area. The land belongs to me. If you want any inquiry, call me on 08023451438.
“I urge the Traditional Institution in Ibadan and the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State to intervene on this matter before it degenerate to uncontrollable situation.
“The land grabbing law was signed the the administration of Late Governor Abiola Ajimobi. I appeal to the present government led by Governor Seyi Makinde to set up a taskforce on land grabbing matters as the menace of land grabbing is becoming rampant in Ibadan and Oyo State.”
The businessman lamented it is a pity that the activities of the Adron Homes in the state is a dent to the agricultural policy of the current government being led by Governor Seyi Makinde and, as such, should be checked forthwith by authorities concerned.
He called on the state government to investigate the issue and not allow such companies hiding under the pretense of providing homes to continue to exhibit extortion and land grabbing just for personal gains.
Concluding, he bemoaned that the illegal invasion of his farmland by the property and homes management company has, in no doubt, contributed to the unemployment rate in the state.
