The move by the family of Babatunde Olunlade to effect a 50-year-old judgement to reclaim over 200 plots of land in Oluyole, Ring Road, Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State, has led to the arrest of landlords and tenants in the area.
PMParrot reports that the landlords and tenants have equally called in soldiers who, in turn, arrested the ‘land-owners’ and the court bailiffs helping them to recover their ‘property’.
We had earlier reported that the move to reclaim the said property started very early last Friday morning when the family members stormed Oluyole Estate and Oni & Sons area of Ring Road with policemen and suspected ‘thugs’ armed with dangerous weapons to ‘reclaim’ their ‘land’.
The ‘reclaimants’ also pasted the ‘warrants for possession’ on all the affected buildings on their ‘land’ including hospitals, hotels, mechanics’ workshops, high-class housing estates, churches, event centres and the popular Concorde Group of Schools.
REPORTERS AT LARGE had earlier reported that the Oyo State High Court, Ring Road, Ibadan, ruled that the contentious judgment that gave repossession permission to the family of Babatunde Olunlade to take over about 200 plots of land in the area was a ‘lawful order of the court’.
The Deputy Chief Registrar made this confirmation and declarations, Litigation and Judgement Enforcement at the Oyo State High Court, Mr Abdul Abiodun Adebisi, on Friday afternoon.
The legal officer who spoke with PMParrot emphatically submitted that the claim by some of the present landlords on the said property that they have valid Certificates of Occupation (CofO) is not enough to give them clean bills of health.
Mr Adebisi’s words “Possession of CofO is not a conclusive way of claiming ownership. It cannot serve as conclusive evidence when a superior title is present.
“Those who now want to claim the Oni & Sons land have the superior title. All those concerned should come forward if they too, can provide superior titles.”
Adebisi continued, “I will advise all the parties concerned not to foment trouble. The Oyo State High Court has made its own pronouncement. Those aggrieved can call the Judgement creditor to prove the title they have on their properties. There is a phone number on the ‘warrant for possession’ pasted on their properties. They should call it and seek a peaceful resolution.”
In the meantime, prominent property owners in the communities affected, including Chief Olatunji Fadairo, owner of the popular Tafotech Group of Companies, called in soldiers to rescue them saying ‘Something fishy is going on.’
One of Chief Fadairo’s aides, who preferred anonymity, informed, “Baba is not happy at all. Several of his properties are affected, and these are properties that hold valid certificates of occupancy (COOS). You can see Baba seated within his property, waiting to be arrested too.” (see image)
It was reported that the soldiers called in by the landlords’ representatives also reportedly took some of the invaders to Odogbo Barracks. At the same time, some arrests were made by the ‘land owners’ too. The Oluyole Divisional Police Headquarters, located within Oluyole Estate in the capital city of Oyo State, ferried those apprehended.
According to some of the residents we spoke to, they mentioned those arrested include the Manager of the popular ‘Paris Bakery’ located at Oni & Sons’ Bus Stop on Ring Road.
Said one of our sources, “Abdulwahab, the manager of Paris Bakery, was arrested at Oluyole Police Station after he got there to bail his five workers who were earlier apprehended. His workers were released, and he was detained”.
Another source said “Ope, Amolese, Aroworopo, Iya D & T and Joy, a PoS operator were all arrested and taken to Oluyole Station.
When PMParrot got to the police station, a reliable police source confirmed the arrest of many people, saying, “The people were arrested as a result of contempt of court, the court has given its ruling, and we got a signal from the Headquarters to enforce it. The matter is beyond our jurisdiction, and we have no authority to intervene.
“As for the people arrested, we are awaiting signals from the police headquarters, and if we are told to transfer them, we will do it without delay. We will enjoin the people of the community not to be confrontational but to employ the services of a lawyer to settle the matter”.
When contacted on the telephone, the Public Relations Officer for the Oyo State Police Command, Mr Adewale Osifeso, said, “No official reports of happenings like that at the Oluyole, Ring Road section of the city are here at the headquarters. I can confidently state that I have not yet received a briefing.”
