• Oyo communities lament Omo Onile’s harassment
From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
Forcible seizure of any landed property across Oyo State or an attempt to do so, known as land-grabbing, has become a criminal offence which attracts a maximum of 15 years imprisonment or a fine of N500,000, or both.
This was one of the provisions of the new Real Properties Protection Law, 2016, which Governor Abiola Ajimobi signed into law on Friday, February 17, 2017.
The new legislation is entitled “A law to protect the rights of property owners and prohibit forceful entry, illegal occupation, violent and fraudulent conducts, in relation to real properties in Oyo State and for purposes connected therewith.”
At the signing ceremony were Speaker of the House of Assembly, Michael Adeyemo; Commissioner for Lands, Housing, Survey and Urban Development, Mr. Ajiboye Omodewu and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Seun Abimbola.
The law also prescribes 10 years jail term or a fine of N500,000, upon conviction for illegal entry into any construction site “for the purpose of stopping, disturbing or otherwise” demand for any fee or levy in respect of construction activities.
Under the new law, any professional, who, in the conduct of his duties, facilitates a contractual agreement between a land owning family and any other person knowing that such agreement will contravene the provisions of the new law is also liable to imprisonment for three years, a fine of N500,000, or both.
Similarly, anyone who writes whatever is deemed to be a frivolous and unwarranted petition, containing false claims, under the anti-land grabbing law is liable to imprisonment for 10 years on conviction.
A part of the law reads: “Any person who, without lawful authority, uses or threatens violence for the purpose of grabbing any real property for himself or for any other person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment of 15 years or a fine of N500,000, or both.
“Any person who encroaches on any real property commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for five years or a fine, not exceeding N500,000.
“Any person who is on any property as an encroacher and having with him any firearm, dangerous or offensive weapons commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for five years. Any person who offers for sale any property knowing that he has no lawful title to the property or authority of the owner or sells a property knowing that he has no lawful title to the property or that the property has been previously sold by him or his privies is liable upon conviction to imprisonment for five years.”
At the ceremony, the governor said the law is meant to protect the rights of property owners and to stop the nefarious activities of land merchants who wilfully and violently seize people’s land.
Ajimobi said: “We want to use this opportunity to allay the fears of property owners and investors across Oyo State that it will no longer be business as usual. Where there is no law, there is no offence, but, now, we have a law in place.
“We will ensure the full implementation of this law. I, therefore, advise those bent on encroaching on other people’s property, most times using violence, threats or imaginary connection with the powers that be to have a rethink,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents of Iddo Local Government Area of Oyo State have lamented that land grabbers, popularly known as Omo Onile, are making life difficult for them. The communities have called on the state government, the police and other relevant authorities to come to their aid.
A representative of the communities, Chief Moshood Aro, at the weekend, told newsmen that they were going through hell in the hands of the miscreants.
Aro said the problem started in 2006 when some members of Majemgbasan Family, with the assistance of security agents and some court officials invaded Aro, Ayo, Ajagusi and Amuletigbo villages, Idi-Ahun in the council and harassed them with the excuse of executing a judgment delivered on October 20, 2015 in suit No. 1/197/1998.
He said his people were neither parties nor privies to the said judgement as the court only granted them injunction over the land of Majemgbasan family…
whicthe land of Aro, Ayo, Ajagusi and Amuletigbo which covers a total area of 279.912 acres of land is their ancestral home from time of immemorial while that of Majemgbasan family covers only covers 18.18 acres of land.
He said: “As law-abiding citizens, we the people of Aro, Ayo, Agajusi and Amuletigbo villages, filed a case in the suit no. 1/431/2006 against the Majemgbasan against the judgment they reportedly obtained that their land covers all the land in the 73 villages in Idi-Ahun including ours.
“But in spite of the pendency of this case, the Majemgbasan family again with assistance of the police stormed our villages, and arrested some of us who were later released after paying some money for bail.
“When no positive outcome was obtained, we went to court again and filed a case in the suit no M/229/2016, before the state High Court in Ibadan for the enforcement of our fundamental human rights,” he added.
However, Chief Aro claimed that on January 4, 2017 at about 11.00am, the Majemgbasan family, along with court bailiffs and the police, with a purported writ of execution, came to their villages and started sealing off and locking up their houses.
“Swiftly, we went to court and instituted a case in the suit no 1/23/2017 to challenge the legality of the said execution because we were neither parties nor privies in the said case.”
He urged the government and all authorities concerned to call Majemgbasan family to order to save them from the unlawful activities of the ‘Omo Oniles’ under the leadership of Sulaimon Badmus a.k.a Syke.
He also urged the state House of Assembly to borrow a leaf from Lagos State and enact a law against the activities of land grabbers.