• Chase out workers, FG, Army, DSS petitioned
From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Some unknown soldiers have allegedly stopped the on going construction of the Federal Government Housing Estate, Alagbaka, Akure, Ondo State. The armed security men were said to have stopped the site workers, claiming to have acted based on an order from above.
The construction workers were reportedly chased out of the site by the soldiers. The workers said the soldiers pounced on them and ordered them to stop work. The site manager lamented that such unlawful acts aimed at grabbing the land and halting the housing project were becoming incessant.
Consequently, the Federal Government, Nigerian Army and the Department of State Service (DSS) were petitioned over the illegal activities of the soldiers. The petition described the invasion as unacceptable and “threat to lives of the workers at the estate by the soldiers.
“The land is part of the Government Reserved Area at Alagbaka, Akure, which had been acquired by the state government over 50 years ago and subsequently released to the Federal Government for developmental purposes. The land is surrounded by Federal Government structures like the police headquarters, Federal Secretariat Complex, Nigerian Immigration Service, National Identity Management Commission and the Nigerian Customs Service.
“Substantial housing units have been constructed on the land and delivered to the Federal Government, while massive developments are on going on other parts of the land.
“A detachment of soldiers invaded the estate in a Toyota Hilux Van branded in Army colours with “32 Brigade” inscribed thereon, with numerous casual workers who started unloading blocks and other construction materials onto the land.
“The soldiers said they were providing security cover for the casual workers by the top command of the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, supposedly based on the request of an Army General who claimed to have purchased some plots on the land from or through officials of the Federal Ministry of Lands, Akure. It was, however, found out from top officials of the ministry that the claim of the officers is not only ridiculous, but completely false and impossible.
“Again, on Saturday, February 3, 2024, the same military officials brought a bulldozer to the site and started demolishing some of the German floors constructed on the land. The officers also forcefully stopped workers from further working on the land, threatening some with fatal consequences if their illegal order was not obeyed.
“Already, there are two pending suits in court. In the first suit (AK/258/2020: Medaville Building Construction v. Oba Aladelusi Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo and two others), the Deji claimed that there was an understanding between the state government who acquired the land over five decades ago and the indigenous people of Akure that a small strip thereof would be reserved as sacred ground for rituals, although the Kabiyesi could not provide any document to substantiate that claim. The suit is pending at the State High Court, Akure.
“While the above case was pending, some officials of the Ondo State Government equally attempted to grab the same portion of land.
“In 2023, the officials of the state government later thereafter began claiming that the state government did not release that portion to the Federal Government, about 14 years after the development of the land began to the knowledge of the same state government officials and despite the fact that the state government approved some of the documents and plans for the development of the land.”