The people of Ikangba Community in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State have appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to urgently intervene in a dispute over their ancestral land, warning that continued harassment could lead to bloodshed. The community made the appeal at a press conference in Abeokuta, the state capital, on Monday. Representatives of the community who spoke alleged that individuals they described as land grabbers had continued to lay claim to the disputed property despite interventions by security authorities. The community traced its claim to the land to its ancestral lineage, insisting that the property has been in the family for centuries. Prince Adegbuyi Osun Onaneye, one of the descendants, said the land belonged to the late Oba Osundeku Oriyin, whom he said ascended the throne in 1675. “This land in question belongs to a late Oba. He ascended the throne in 1675. That was Oba Osundeku Oriyin. We are his great-grandchildren and we princes and princesses,” he said. Speaking on behalf of the descendants and community, the Secretary of the Oluweri Osundekun/Yeye-Imule family descendants of Ijebu-Ode, Prince Olufemi Oluleye, said the community was compelled to seek public intervention because the dispute had allegedly assumed a dangerous dimension. He appealed directly to the governor, saying the community feared that failure to intervene could result in loss of lives. “We are appealing through the media to His Excellency, the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to urgently intervene before the situation degenerates further and innocent citizens lose their lives or are unlawfully dispossessed of their land,” he said. The community alleged that some individuals involved in the dispute had sought to use security personnel to intimidate them and gain possession of the land. Its representatives further alleged that two Ikangba indigenes were arrested and detained by security agents in Abeokuta in connection with the dispute. “However, following a proper review of the matter and the presentation of documentary evidence supporting the position of the community, the two indigenes were released,” Oluleye stated. “We understand that the Director of the DSS, after listening to the parties and examining the circumstances, warned those behind the land dispute to desist from actions capable of disturbing the peace of the community,” he said. He, however, alleged that the situation did not end there, claiming that the disputed land continued to witness activities by those the community described as land grabbers. The Ogun State Police Command, he added, also intervened after the Commissioner of Police invited the parties to hear their respective positions. “The Ogun State Commissioner of Police also intervened by inviting the parties and listening to their respective positions. After reviewing the matter, the Commissioner similarly warned the alleged land grabbers to stay away from the disputed land,” Oluleye said. Despite the interventions, the community alleged that harassment had continued. “Our greatest concern now is that, despite these interventions, the harassment has continued. We have continuous reports of maiming and sporadic shooting on the land, creating an atmosphere of fear among members of the community,” he said. The community stressed that it was not seeking to determine the matter outside the legal process. “We are not here to prejudge anyone or to take the place of the courts or security agencies. Our demand is simple: let the law prevail,” Oluleye said. He added: “The people of Ikangba should not be made refugees on their own ancestral land. No individual, no matter how highly connected, should have the power to deploy security personnel or private agents to intimidate citizens, seize land or threaten lives.”
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