By Temitope Afolabi
The tussle over the land between the family of Prophet Kogberegbe and the Ojon of Ejigbo and Ijanland, His Royal Majesty, Oba Moruf Ojoola took another dimension recently as the cleric ordered the arrest of the monarch’s chiefs for allegedly encroaching on his land beside the Egbe stream.
Those arrested include the Asoju Oba of Ejigbo, Chief Saheed Akinlagun and the Balogun of Ejigbo, Chief Musbau Balogun.
The land, according to the prophet, is an extension of the church located at Ori-Oke bus stop, close to Ejigbo-Egbe Bridge.
He claimed that the controversial land was acquired by the church over 50 years with all documents to show its right ownership.
While speaking with ECHONEWS, Prophet Kogberegbe added that it was Chief E. I. Ashamu who gave him the land and proper documentation regarding the land was done in 1992 bearing Prophet Kogberegbe’s name, adding that Chief Ashamu bought the land from the Ifoshi family.
The clergy man alleged that the monarch has encroached on the land, trying to sell it illegally.
He explained that the land matter has been in the court for seven years and that the king has no right to go ahead and sell the land without any prior ruling from the court of law.
Justifying the arrest of the monarch’s emissaries on the land, the prophet said it was done for the benefit of both parties, warning the monarch to desist from sale of the land the pending the court ruling.
He reiterated that the church took the decision to arrest Ojon’s emissaries in the best interest of both parties to avert chaos in the community, saying both the King of Ejigbo and he are not strangers to each other.
“I and the king are not strangers to each other and the church took the decision to arrest Ojon’s boys in the best interest of both parties after the church noticed that there was encroachment on their land by Ojon’s boys. We are praying for the matter to be settled amicably because we have always preached peace.
“The matter has been in court for over seven years. The case is before Justice Opesanwo who is preceding over it with case suit No. is ID/2201/94 at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja. The church cannot be having issues with the king, we are also praying that God should help us settle the matter,” Kogberegbe added.
He said the king should have engaged the church in mutual discussion before embarking on selling the land to create avoidable rift between the two parties.
However, Kogberegbe urged leaders in the community to come together to beg the Ojon of Ejigbo to be patient and wait for court ruling on the land in order to avoid unwarranted chaos.
He said: “The leaders in the community should help us beg the Ojon of Ejigbo because he knows the genesis and everything about the land, he knows the land belongs to us.
“This is an issue that the king can sit with us and discuss amicably before going ahead to sell the land which created a rift. So, it was the king who was making an attempt to sell the land that belongs to the church before it turned out to be a police case.
“Everybody in the community knows that I am not a troublesome person. I am an elder statesman in the community and I don’t pray for division in the community but right now we pray God should settle the issue between me and the king of Ejigbo.”
Prophet Kogberegbe said a petition was written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and both were invited to Force Headquarters in Abuja on the 17th of September, this year.
He alleged that, at the meeting, the Ojon boastfully told the police officers that he sold the land and the police allegedly ordered the King not to step on the land again since the case is still in court.
Prophet Kogberegbe said those arrested are the king’s kinsmen including the Asoju Oba of Ejigbo land and Balogun of Ejigbo land.
Prophet Kogberegbe noted that a petition was also written to the Lagos State taskforce on land grabbers where they were invited to a meeting on the September 22, 2020, stating that only he was honoured the invitation while the King refused to show up, which made the taskforce chose November 5, 2020 as another date for the meeting.
“We tried making peace with the king but he has shunned all peace parleys; he wants to use force to acquire the land but we will not fold our hands and allow that to happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, all efforts to get the king’s side of the story proved abortive as our reporter was told that the king was not available every time he visited the palace.
Also, the Lagos Commissioner for Physical Planning, Dr. Idris Salako could not be reached.