Idarika Iperu-Remo Accuses Ologere of Ogere Of Farmland Invasion

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…Calls For Government Intervention.

Despite Governor Abiodun’s vow to take ruthless action against land invaders and grabbers, the People of Idarika Community in Iperu-Remo have accused the Ologere of Ogere, Oba Saliu Obafemi, and others over the invasion of about 1,500 Hectares of land that belongs to the community.

A member of the Idarika community Chief Olusegun Ogunkoya who Spoke on behalf of the community in an interview with newsmen, accused the Ologotr of Ogere as the prime invader of the land, revealing that many people have been invading the land.

While narrating the historical background of the land, he elucidated that, the land is located on the two sides of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and surrounded by villages where Ogere is not part of the land but shared boundaries with Iperu.

He boasted that there is a proper document that shows the boundary of Iperu and Ogere and also the authenticity of the land owner.

Ogunkoya narrated that it was a sudden event when the Ogere people started claiming the land belonging to Idarika because they were allowed to farm on the land.

He narrated, “Suddenly, we saw Ogere people claiming our land in Idarika because they have been allowed to farm on that side of the community land after the expressway divided the community land into two parts, We want the general public to know that the land belongs to Idarika people of Iperu and not Ogere under the Ikene Local government area”.

“Many people have been invading the land claiming they have certificates of occupancy on some part of the land but the person who led the Invaders till this moment is the new Ologere of Ogere, Oba Saliu Obafemi who engineered different people to claim the land saying that it belongs to Ogere. The land is about 1,500 hectares”.

“We have boundaries with Elegbeji in Sagamu, Ajagbe in Iperu, Idena in Iperu, and also Egba(Abeokuta) while the land of Idarika is at the centre of these villages and Ogere is not part of the Town we share borders with because after our land the next village is Idena followed by Imeji before you get to Ogere”.

“Unconfirmed Information at the disposal of the Idarika Indigenes was that the Ologere claimed he bought the land from different families whom he said were all dead.

“It was the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan Express Road in the last quarter of 1978 that divided the land of Idarika into two parts Immediately after the road was constructed, some people who were living on the other side lost their lives due to motor accidents when they were going for their farms. For this reason, the Ogere Indigenes were allowed to use the land for farming purposes via Ogere while some natives of Ogere leased the land on a long-term basis with the hope that they would later reclaim their land back. When Ogere saw that no one came up to claim the land anymore, they now began to lay claim to it, saying that the land had been sold to them by some sets of people, whereas the land did not belong to them”.

“On the claim by some individuals who had secretly obtained certificates of occupancy ( c of o) on some portion of the land without the consent and authority of the authentic land owners from Idarika the community lawyer Barrister Gbenga Ojo who spoke with our correspondent explained that the Supreme Court has decided on a plethora of cases that a Certificate of Occupancy is contestable and will be set aside if the root of title is defective like in the instant case”.

“There is a chart showing our boundaries even if you want the survey we will provide it for you. There are Sagamu, Orile-imo, Ajura, idena, and Imeji on the other side before you get to Ogere, so how come they will jump those villages and claim our land

“Sometimes in 2005, the Ogun state government under the administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the Ogun state boundary dispute committee including the Remo traditional council had waded into the boundary dispute between Iperu and Ogere during the reign of the late Ologere of over and came up with a conclusion the records are there for verification it is therefore strange for the new bloggers to start laying another false claim over Iperu land”.

Ogunkoya however, warned the Invaders to stop invading their land while appealing to the Ogun state government, the chairman Ogun State Council of Obas and chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, and the Ogun state Commissioner of Police to quickly intervene in a matter before it snowballs into a communal clash and also to prevent the loose of lives and properties.