Family accuses bureau chief of ‘land grabbing’

FAMILY in Imota in Agbowa-Imota Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State has petitioned the House of Assembly, accusing some top Lands Bureau officials of land racketeering.

In the petition, their family’s lawyer, Mr Gbenga Ojo, alleged that the officials led by the bureau’s Executive Secretary, Mr Kayode Ogunnubi, were conniving with people to sell part of its land.

The petition claimed that 20 hectares of land was excised to the Balogun Branch of the Refuwe family of Imota in 2008 by the governmentThe petition reads: “In 1980, Lagos State Government acquired a large tract of land in Imota. Some of the land so acquired belonged to our clients, but after a series of meetings and consultations, the government through a letter dated 21 January, 2008, released 20 hectares of the land to the family and the government’s decision was further confirmed in the state  gazette No 2 Vol. 41 of 28 February, 2008.

“Subsequently, all manner of people came on the land claiming that they purchased various portions of the land from the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Lands and Environment. Some of them even gave our clients copies of Certificates of Occupancy purportedly issued by Lagos State Government.

“Investigation by our clients revealed that there is a strong and powerful cartel or syndicate in Lands Bureau led by Mr. Ogunnubi, the Executive Secretary, Lands Department that is behind all these atrocities.

“On 17 February, 2016, a combined team of Governor’s Monitoring Team and Task Force with several armed mobile policemen invaded the land with the intention to arrest, detain and prosecute our clients in order to intimidate them from asserting their ownership of the land released to them by Lagos State Government.”

Reacting, Ogunubi said the land was acquired by the government, adding that the Refuwe family was compensated like other families.

He claimed that the family was trying to reclaim the land for which it has been compensated.

The bureau, he said, wrote to the government, when the family started attacking the rightful owners of the land.

On the basis of the letter, he said, the government sent the task force to the land.

Ogunnubi said the government was aware of the matter, which he stated that he inherited.