Joseph Adetonwa Oluguna family of Offin Sagamu are worried that the Sagamu Local Government in Ogun State is allegedly engaged in illegal allocation of part of their land to transport unions operating at Isale-Oko garage, Sagamu.
Hon. Afolabi Odulate is the Chairman of Sagamu local government and he was among the persons reported to have been grilled by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) in connection with the September 2023 rival cult gangs war in the town which left at least eight people dead.
The Oluguna family in Sagamu claimed that the local government is going about the alleged illegal allocation in spite of the ongoing litigation at the Sagamu arm of the state judiciary, and urged the Sagamu Council chairman, Ogbeni Afolabi Odulate, to wait for the Court decision on the land before doing anything and not resort to self help lest he provokes action that could lead to a crisis.
The Daily Crucible gathered that the contest over the land between the family and the local government dates back to 2009 during the tenure of former Council Chairman, Hon. Daisi Akintan in a lawsuit marked, “Mrs Folake Oluguna Fakunmoju vs Sagamu Local Government in Suit no:HCS/29/2017 on Isale-oko Garage.”
The suit marked no:HCS/29/2017 was filed on behalf of the Joseph Adetonwa Oluguna family by a civil and human rights advocacy and protection organisation – Justice, Development & Peace Commission (JDPC) of the Ijebu diocese of the Catholic Church.
The JDPC’s human rights lawyer, Lazarus A. Aladesua, Esq was handling the matter for the family at the time which was also contending that; “the Local Government Chairman is incompetent to allocate their land to whatsoever purposes, without seeking the consent of the family or acquire the land legitimately from them.”
The family had at the time in 2009 accused the then council Chairman for using his office to deny them access to and gainful use of their land.
It was learnt that “sometimes in 1990, the National Union of Road Transport Workers Sagamu Branch and the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria, Sagamu Branch occupied the land which members of the Oluguna family at Isale-Oko claimed is theirs.
The transport unions, it was further gathered, later converted the said land to motor park that is today popularly called Isale-Oko garage.
Although several attempts were made by the family to let the transport unions understand that the land belongs to Oluguna family and the need to first seek the family members’ consent or authority to operate successfully on the said land, but that had not helped the matter.
The family recalled that the matter between Alhaji Musa Okanlawon vs Hon Daisi Akintan (1st defendant) & Sagamu Local Government, 2nd defendant in Suit no:HCS/234/2013), it claimed that when the council needed land to built health care centre, members of the family were the one who gave out the piece of land in the year 2009 while a compensation was paid to them through a representative, Chief Mrs. Irebowale Adekanbi.
They cited Sagamu LGA voucher number 385/Feb 2009 as evidence of payment of the expected compensation to a representative of the family, Chief Mrs. Irebowale Adekanbi.
The legal tussle aspect is still pending in Court but the family is now calling on the state government led by Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Ogun State House of Assembly on the watch of Speaker Kunle Oluomo, traditional rulers in Remoland and well meaning members of the public to prevail on the Sagamu Council Chairman, Ogbeni Afolabi Odulate, to respect the court proceedings and halt whatever the Council plans to do on the land pending the time the Court takes a definitive position concerning it.
The 14 – year old matter was scheduled for hearing in court on October 5, 2023 but the Court did not sit and it had to be adjourned to October 24.
•Cover picture: Sagamu LG Chairman, Afolabi Odulate
