Omotola landlords threaten protest over proposed shopping complex

By Damilola Kushimo

Landlords of Adebisi Omotola Streets are threatening to protest against the Isolo local government’s plan to construct a shopping complex in the community, claiming that the government is encroaching on their land.

The Chairman of the Landlords and Residents Association, Pa Edmund Thompson, revealed to ECHONEWS that they would carry out a peaceful protest if the local council goes ahead with its plan to take over the piece of land on the street and put up the proposed shopping complex.

But the  council is claiming  to be the rightful owner of the piece of land and that it had compensated the self-acclaimed owner of the of land, Alhaji Olonade, who had been lording over the land for years.

The council claimed that it served Olonade quit and removal notice last December, giving him a two-month grace which elapsed in February this year.

After the February date given, the council put up a temporary fence around the portion of land but it was reportedly removed by the land owners (omo onile).

However, it was gathered that the council has rebuilt the fence and started construction work on the land.

Speaking further on the issue, Thompson noted that the association has earlier petitioned the council and copied other concerned bodies on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, but it was surprised to see the council put up another fence around the land.

He explained: “We’ve petitioned the council over its proposed plan on the piece of land. The land does not belong to the council, it belongs to the community. The person it compensated does not own the land because he never acquired it. He was only helped with it and allowed to do his carpentry work on the land. It was out of the magnanimity of the community that Olonade had remained on the land after he erected building on it. It was only meant for him to carry out his carpentry work. At first, when he put up structure there, I called the attention of the community to it and we all decided to leave him. We didn’t know anything more about it. How he got the approval from the state for the structure, we didn’t know.

“The portion of land is an open space that belongs to the community. We chose not to take laws into our hands when we noticed the act of encroachment by the local council authority and that was why we wrote a petition against it and copied the governor, the council, commissioner and the police.

“The land as a whole belongs to Mr A. A. Kasumu whom we all bought our portions from. It doesn’t belong to the council, it belongs to the community. We are just fighting for the safety of this community. Our interest is peace and security. The community is the freeholder of the land. All landlords in this area have conveyance, we bought this place before the land use act.

“We want the state to intervene and not wait till the council takes a step further. If the council does not keep away from the land, I’ve decided to call the landlords both women and men to protest if it moves any move by force.”

Reacting to the claim, the council chairman, Hon. Shamsudeen Olaleye (Shammeh), explained that the land belongs to the council, claiming that it is a government setback and it has compensated the self-acclaimed owner.

Olaleye, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Lanre Olaleye, said after compensating Olonade  he was given time to evacuate the land.

He challenged the community to go to court if the landlords have evidence to support their ownership claim.

His words: “If they feel they have the Certificate of Ownership, they should go to court. The land is a government setback, it is government-owned. What seemed to be an issue about it has been resolved. The man that claimed to be the supposed landlord has been duly compensated. If the community feels that they own the piece of land they should present their evidence.”