Ogun Assembly To IG- Call Your Men Who Are Conniving With Land Grabbers To Arrest Residents On Trump-Up Charges To Order

By Babatunde Solanke

Ogun State House of Assembly has appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to call to order its operatives in the state who are allegedly conniving with with some suspected land grabbers to  arrest and detained innocent residents of the state illegally on trump-up charges.

The Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo, made the appeal on Tueaday during the plenary when the lawmakers took turns to report rampant cases of land-grabbing in their various constituencies while contributing to the debate on the second reading of the State Anti-land Grabbing (amendment) bill.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Head of Information of the state assembly, Lawal Jamiu.

According to the statement, Oluomo said that hundreds of innocent residents of the state had continued to languish in the various detention cells of the police both at Alagbon in Lagos and the Force Headquarters in Abuja, due to the connivance of land grabbers with some security agents against innocent members of the public.

The speaker called on the IG to wade in to ensure that innocent people are not made to suffer on account of trump-up charges.

Oluomo added that any land-related matters should be charged to court while promising that the new amendment to the bill titled: H. B. No. 006/ OG/ 2023– Prohibition of Forcible occupation of Landed properties, armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism, violence and other related offence ( Amendment) Law, 2023 would ensure a constitution of task force by the State Government to handle land-related matters.

Earlier while opening the debate on the bill, the sponsor, Hon. Damilola Soneye lamented that the issue of land-grabbing had become rampant in the state, hence the need for the amendment to make the law more effective and efficient.

Other lawmakers including Deputy Speaker Bolanle Ajayi, Minority Leader Olalekan Adeleye, Honourables Samsideen Lawal, Waliu Owode, Olusegun Odunuga, Wasiu Ayodele, Fola Salami, Oluseun Adesanya, Babatunde Tella said the activities of the land grabbers had been affecting the peace, progress and development of the state, hence the need to take a holistic approach towards addressing the menace.