• Nwagbogwu, whose house was flattened, by LASBCA, buried in Lagos
By Brown Chimezie
Saturday, November 11 2023, was indeed a very sad day for residents of Candid Estate, Araromi Ale, Badagry, Lagos State. On that fateful day, a community leader and pioneer chairman of the estate, Mr. Godson Nwagbogwu, aka Emeritus, was buried.
He was one of the over 200 persons whose houses were demolished by the Lagos State Building and control Agency (LASBCA). A resident, Mr Japheth Alaleme, relived the Wednesday, December 7, 2022 incident, when men of LASBCA, policemen from Zone 2, over 500 thugs, led by Garba (surname withheld), stormed the community.
His narration: “When I saw them marking buildings and pasting demand notices, I thought it was the routine notification from local government people and that the matter will be sorted at their office in Iworo. The events that took place in the next 24 hours totally proved me wrong.
“Garba later summoned members of the community to an emergency meeting which was to take place the next day. Community leaders led by Mr. Collins Akaeze, started making frantic efforts to meet Garba and his henchmen on the night of December 7, without success as he rebuffed all the moves.
“The next day, we assembled at a location along the Badagry Expressway, waiting for Garba to address us. We thought that at worse, we would be giving time to go and ratify our papers with the Lands Office, butwe were wrong.”
Another resident, Mr Jasper Onojie, said: “To my greatest surprise, I saw four excavators and bulldozers parked at the entrance of the community. I concluded that the equipment could belong to a construction firm reconstructing the Oko-Afo end of the Lagos-Badagry Expressroad.”
By 10 am when Garuba finally arrived, the whole area was thrown into silence of the graveyard as residents awaited their fate. In a calm but deadly voice, he told the anxious residents that they had no reason to fear.
He said he only came to enforce government order to remove weak and unoccupied structures as well as buildings along the drainage. With that, residents relaxed awaiting the next move.
Then the campaign convoy of Lagos APC chairman ran into the traffic caused by crowds and onlookers. They were ambushed by the Garba-led thugs. The chairman and his entourage escaped by airs-breath. Heavy gunfire by the police escorts on both side rent the air. This development later worked in favour of the people as the party leaders took the case directly to the Governor’s Office in Alausa.
Following the confrontation, Garba probably sensed more trouble, immediately directed the policemen, thugs and the heavy equipment to move into the community.
Akazue: “We were all confused. We didn’t really know whom we were facing, government agencies or thugs? We immediately reached out to the Area Commander, Area K Police, who directed us to Morogbo Police Station. At the station, I was told that it was order from above. At that stage, I became confused.
“While the community leaders were deliberating on the next move, I got a distress call that bulldozers were at my house and that Garba needed my attention. I raced to the spot and knelt down pleading for my property. I later paid some millions of naira before my building was spared.”
Another resident, a retired police officer, DSP, whose house was the first to be demolished, was still negotiating with henchmen of Garba when was called that his house was being demolished:
“When I got there, the only thing I could salvage was a file containing my discharged certificates. I lost everything I have suffered for including grave of my wife. The bulldozer rumbled over her tomb.”
When it was turn of the late Nwagbogwu, in his 60s, he knelt down before Garba in his 30s pleading: “This is what I laboured for all my life. My son, please spare this building and my life.”
Still on his kneels, he offered N1million to the warlord. He rejected the money and asked Nwagbogwu to look for N6.5 million. While the negotiation was on, bulldozer moved in and demolished the building. Nwagbogwu slumped. When he was revived, he remained in vegetable state. He was in and out of hospital until he died.
Since the ugly incident of December 7, 2022, members of the community have not rested on their oars fighting for justice. They submitted petition at the Governor’s Office, Ministry of Justice, state assembly and LASBCA office. Even though LASBCA manager invited them for a meeting, not much has been achieved. No compensation has been paid.
Following the outcry by members of the public, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on December 9, 2022, disbanded the Landed Property Demolition Task Force, citing irregularities in its activities. Although this measure immediately halted the exercise, residents in the area still leave in palpable fear. Land grabbers continue to threaten that they would return to complete their task.
To further press for justice, residents filed a case for compensation and perpetual injunction to stop further encroachments on their lands. The case before Justice Ogundare got first mention on October 9, 2023. It was adjourned for second hearing on November 27, 2023.