metro
Land grabbers impersonate judgment creditors, demolish property, victims tackle Lagos task force
Members of the Regun-Keyeolu Family have accused the Coordinator, Lagos State Special Task Force on Land Grabbers, Owolabi Arole, of conniving with certain persons to demolish structures on their land.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the land, known as Old Nitel in the Ikorodu area of the state, was acquired by the Federal Government for telecommunications development.
A member of the family, Rotimi Dada, said the Federal Government refused to return the land despite not using it for the intended purpose.
He noted that the land was commercialised, adding that in a bid to reclaim it, the family instituted a suit against the government and other interlopers.
“The case was ongoing when some people who were not members of our family, mobilised land grabbers to chase liquidators wrongly selling part of the land.
“After the invasion, these unrecognised family members, alongside the land grabbers, also started selling part of the land and we informed the High Court in Ikorodu.
“In suit number: IKD/595LMW/2018, Justice, L.B. Lawal-Akapo, gave an order restricting construction or dealings on the land and mandated the state Commissioner of Police to station armed policemen on the land to prevent entry of intruders,” Dada said.
Despite Lawal-Akapo’s order, Dada said the land grabbers, alongside the alleged family members, continued to sell and facilitate building development on the land.
He added, “The court was informed and an order was given to mark all the structures built after the restraining order. About 53 structures were marked and afterwards, the judge gave an order to demolish the marked structures.”
The demolition order given by Lawal-Akapo in suit no: IKD/595LMW/2015 and IKD/1000LMW/15, was sighted by our correspondent.
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However, another member of the family, Owoseni Atoloye, said plans were on to execute the order when alleged sponsors of the land grabbers impersonated the judgement Lawal-Akapo gave in their favour.
He said, “The people sponsoring the land grabbers impersonated our judgement and mobilised the police to demolish people’s property on the land. We petitioned the then Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, who invited all of us, and surprisingly, Arole also attended the meeting.
“At his office, Odumosu discovered that it was our judgement they executed but Arole insisted that the judgement was for all of us, including sponsors of the land grabbers. Odumosu expressed disappointment in Arole as only our family’s name was on the judgement.
“Another meeting was rescheduled, but Arole and the impostors never showed up. So, we wrote a petition for unlawful damage against them to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon.”
One of the people whose property was demolished, Prof. Olayinka Adegbehinde, said, “My property on the Old Nitel land was not part of the ones marked for demolition, but other people that are not part of the judgement demolished it with a bulldozer.”
PUNCH Metro gathered that the FCID extended investigation to Arole and the people sponsoring the land grabbers, as the case was later charged to a magistrate’s court in Igbosere, Lagos.
However, Atoloye said the court proceedings were ongoing when the impostors filed a petition against the family and the police for breaching their fundamental rights during the investigation.
“We gave our defence before Justice A.F. Pokanu of the Ikorodu High Court. On Tuesday, June 15, 2021, the judge ruled in our favour in the case with suit no: IKD/9520MFHR/2020,” he added.
The judgement read in part, “The first and third respondents (Regun-Keyeolu Family) acted on reasonable suspicion in making a report to the police and the fourth and seventh respondents (police) have acted within constitutional and statutory limits in making the lawful arrest, detention and charging the accused persons to court.
“Consequently, the applicant’s motion on notice for enforcement of fundamental rights lacks merit and the same is dismissed accordingly.”
Atoloye lamented that the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, after the ruling, started circulating notices to take over prosecution of the unlawful damage case ongoing in court.
A letter drafted by the state counsel for the DPP, Mr A. Araba, on January 5, 2022, and another letter with no: LJF/710/IKD/01/01/09/2021, by the senior state counsel, O.A Ikwenobe, on December 8, 2021, confirmed the development.
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“It is our belief that the notice is an attempt by Arole, whose office is under the Ministry of Justice, to subvert justice.
“We believe in the integrity of the DPP and the Attorney-General of Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, to deliver justice in the matter,” he added.
Arole, when contacted, said, “I am not obliged to speak to the press. I have a superior as I work with the ministry of justice. The issue alleged by the family is unknown to me as I have never been involved in any matter related to that.”
Asked if he was invited by the police regarding the case, Arole said, “I have never been invited over a matter before FCID Alagbon.”
However, a spokesperson for the FCID, Alagbon, Niyi Ogundeyi, said Arole, alongside the suspects, were invited during the investigation.
Ogundeyi said, “When an invitation was extended to him (Arole), he told us to address the letter to the attorney-general, as he is not acting on his own.
“But in his response, he said they acted on the judgement the suspects brought without knowing that they were not beneficiaries of that judgement. He said it was in that light that they empowered the task force to come for demolition.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, Grace Alo, said she had directed our correspondent’s request to Arole and the DPP, but had yet to get an appropriate brief for a reaction.
Punch
metro
Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos
Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos
One Onyeka Ubaka has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for sexual assault and maltreatment of a 16-year-old girl in Lagos State.
He was convicted and sentenced by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Tuesday.
Justice Rahmon Oshodi convicted him after he pleaded guilty to the two amended charges brought against him by the Lagos State Government.
Ubaka was initially arraigned on January 12, 2024, and was initially charged with defilement through one-count information filed on October 26, 2023, to which he pleaded not guilty.
In the court proceedings, the prosecution counsel, B. E. Okeowo, presented a single witness, the prosecutrix, whose testimony proved particularly significant in establishing the case against the defendant. The prosecutrix who provided a testimony, identified the defendant as her boyfriend and disclosed that she was 16 years old in 2023 and that her relationship with the defendant began in her mother’s shop.
The victim testified to the court that the defendant had multiple instances of sexual intercourse with her, which resulted in pregnancy and childbirth.
“The defendant is the father of my child. He impregnated me, and the child is five months old.”
According to PUNCH, the victim, during cross-examination, gave testimony evidence that incriminate the defendant.
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In one instance, she disclosed that the defendant took her to a bar, gave her yogurt to drink, and after she drank it, she lost consciousness. She further disclosed that she woke up in a hotel room and realised that the defendant had non-consensual sex with her and told her to keep the incident a secret.
At the court proceeding on Tuesday, Justice Oshodi disclosed to the court that the prosecution counsel, B. E. Okeowo, had informed the court that the parties had entered a plea and sentence agreement dated and filed on November 25, 2024. The court then charged and convicted the defendant on the amended charge of indecent acts and sexual assault to which the defendant pleaded guilty.
Justice Ramon, in his judgment, stated that the prosecution had established beyond a reasonable doubt the charges brought against the defendant, and found the defendant guilty of indecent act and sexual assault.
“From the evidence presented by the prosecution, I am satisfied that the essential elements of indecent acts and sexual assault have been established. There is an abundance of evidence to support this conclusion. The defendant’s guilty plea further justifies his conviction for the offences contained in the amended information.
“Therefore, I find the defendant guilty and convict him under Sections 134 and 263 of the Criminal Law Supra”, he ruled.
When asked what he had to say, the defendant begged the court to temper justice with mercy.
“Temper justice with mercy so that I will take care of my responsibility,” he appealed.
It is gathered that the defendant’s father had paid the sum of N300,000 and had undertaken to sponsor the prosecutrix first degree and take full responsibility for the child until the child is eight years old.
The prosecution counsel in her final statement asked the court to convict the defendant according to the plea bargain.
“We ask that the convict be sentenced according to the plea bargain agreement starting from the day of remand, March 23, 2023, and this will pass a message to society that sexual offenders are not tolerated in our society.
“We also ask that the name of the convict be registered in the Sexual Offenders Register”, Okeowo said.
Justice Oshodi then found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to four years imprisonment.
Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos
metro
Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers
Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers
CSP Adetayo Akerele, Chairman of Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, announced the arrest of 53 suspected criminals in Gowon Estate.
Akerele said this operation aimed to boost safety, security, and environmental decorum in the area.
“The agency apprehended drug peddlers, addicts; miscreants; street urchins; illegal street traders and people of shady business dealings.
“We found various illicit drugs and narcotics, including Indian hemp, codeine syrup, and colorado,” Akerele said.
The operation brings relief to residents of Gowon Estate, Ipaja, Egbeda, Idimu, and surrounding areas affected by these criminals.
“Residents have endured trauma and safety risks due to these unauthorized squatters.
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The taskforce is committed to safeguarding residents and ridding the metropolis of individuals preying on law-abiding citizens,” Akerele said.
The agency will monitor other criminal hideouts, blackspots, and abandoned properties.
“This vigilance aims to deter individuals with sinister motives.
“These arrests demonstrate our determination to maintain a safe environment.
“We will hold every individual involved in these illegal practices accountable,” Akerele said.
The 53 suspects will face charges for narcotics-related offenses.
Residents are urged to report suspicious activities through the “See Something, Say Something” initiative.
Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers
metro
Nigeria Customs returns 21 stolen luxury vehicles to Canada
Nigeria Customs returns 21 stolen luxury vehicles to Canada
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has returned 21 luxury vehicles worth over N1.8 billion to Canada.
The cars were stolen and smuggled into Nigeria by some criminals.
Comptroller General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this at a press briefing on Tuesday in Lagos.
He expressed worry at the rise in stolen vehicles and its impact on Nigeria’s economy and security.
According to Adeniyi, Nigeria has become a significant hub for stolen vehicles in West Africa, with syndicates exploiting the country’s ports and borders to bring in stolen vehicles from regions such as Europe, North America, and South America.
He highlighted data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicating that only 54% of stolen vehicles were recovered between 2013 and 2015, illustrating the scale of the problem.
“This trend undermines our legitimate automotive market, strains our security infrastructure, and damages Nigeria’s international reputation,” Adeniyi said.
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He noted that the illegal trade was affecting President Tinubu’s economic reforms, aimed to position Nigeria as a trusted hub for international commerce.
To combat this challenge, Adeniyi disclosed that the NCS had launched Operation Hot Wheels, a collaborative initiative involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Canadian authorities, and international law enforcement agencies.
The operation focused on intelligence sharing, surveillance, and interdiction to disrupt vehicle trafficking networks.
Adeniyi disclosed that the operation uncovered sophisticated smuggling techniques, including false cargo declarations and containerized shipments used to conceal stolen vehicles.
During one operation, officers intercepted a container at Onne Port in Rivers State declared to contain used vehicles and spare parts.
A physical examination revealed three undeclared 2021 Toyota Highlanders, two of which were confirmed stolen from Canada.
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