Rescue us from bandits, residents cry to Sanwo-Olu

The Olowu Ogunkalu family of Oreki Village in Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State has called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene and stall the activities of some suspicious individuals using their land as a training camp for bandits and terrorists.

The family’s spokesperson, who is also Baale of Oreki, Chief Waliu Olowu, alleged that policemen were aiding these unlawful activities, especially as they were also feigning to be land grabbers.

He pleaded with the governor to intervene and stop the infringement of their rights by unscrupulous elements.

“They are perceived as mere land grabbers, but what they do is to conspire with some policemen in uniform to run a training camp for terrorists. We call on the Inspector General of Police (IG) and other security agencies, Lagos State governor, as well as the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Lagos to intervene and stop them now,” he stated.

Olowu also accused a businessman of colluding with a Hong Kong national to sell government’s excised land to unsuspecting people.

According to him, the foreigner has successfully built a land grabbing cartel-turned breeding ground for bandits, while they are also involved in some other illegal activities.

According to the family head, these men have been using the bandits and police officers to perpetrate evil in Ibeju-Lekki and environ.

This, he said, unsettles the previously serene communities, threatens its existence, debars justice and may likely have a spillover effect in other parts of the state.

He added that “the family resorted to media intervention as an unbiased fourth estate of the realm owing to the fact that efforts made through many letters, protests and petitions written to the Inspector General of Police were thwarted by unscrupulous officers.

“The cartel uses these officers to harass, persecute and prosecute genuine landowners on behalf of the land grabbers and bandits-sponsors. They hijack case files and truncate investigation by setting the complainants up through frivolous charges and they end up in court for no reason, thereby causing breach of trust between the police and community.

“We, therefore, beg the IG to request for our petitions dated September 27, 2021, addressed to the IG’s Office; and the other addressed to the AIG, FCID Annex, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos, and do the needful.

“We also want to IG to withdraw the case from the present agents of the cartel and give an unbiased officer, with proper monitoring, with time frame for completion and submission. It may interest you to know that the family and our clients had initiated legal proceedings in this matter.

“Our consistent prayer is that the court compels the police to remove all the cases linked to Oreki Villages – Olamuyegun and Baba Adisa from these unscrupulous officers.

“As the Chief Security Officer of the state, we implore Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to use the state machinery to ensure that peace continues to reign in all nooks and crannies of the state by constituting a panel of inquiry to look into the matter and bring all perpetrators to book, and ensure justice prevails,” he concluded.

(The Nation)