By James Idowu
The Ekiti State Housing Corporation has responded to a petition to the State Police Command over the alleged undue interference, encroachment, and illegal sale of plots of land belonging to one Dr. Suleiman Folayan Lawal by a culprit, Chief Anthony Olasehinde Omole, the Oloro of Iyin Ekiti.
Omole and his land-grabbing syndicate, according to the petition, illegally sold plots of land at the Government Estate located along New Iyin Road, Ado Ekiti, while also damaging pillars erected to demarcate the said land in the course of willfully encroaching on the legally purchased plots from the corporation.
The suspect was alleged to have illegally altered the layouts and demarcations erected on the plots to suit his criminal tendency.
The Corporation revealed that the late Dr. Lawal was one of the victims of the illicit activities being allegedly perpetrated at the estate by the suspect.
The Corporation wrote: “Re: Complaints of Land Grabbing, Malicious Damage to Government Pillars and Threat to Life” and dated 12th January 2023, was signed by the Ag. General Manager of Ekiti State Housing Corporation, Mrs. A.M. Ilesanmi.
The letter of the corporation was in response to the case of alleged illegal encroachment of the government estate and unlawful sale of plots of land allocated to the late Dr. Suleiman Folayan Lawal and the destruction of pillars therein, raised by Alhaji Dauda Lawal to the State Police Command, calling for its swift intervention.
The petition was addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.
The Corporation expressed displeasure at how the alleged culprit, had been encroaching on lands legally acquired by the government and allocated to individuals and selling over 600 plots of land belonging to the government under the guise of being land owners.
The agency said it was fully aware of Chief Oloro’s encroachment of the government land within the New Iyin Road Estate and his illegal transactions on the encroached portion of the land which was duly acquired and compensations duly paid to families by the State Government.
The Corporation said; “Even though the Corporation has taken necessary steps through the Ministry of Justice as a result of a pending matter in the Court of Justice, Chief Oloro has continued to threaten members of staff of Ekiti State Housing Corporation who have on several occasions stopped his illegal activities within the Estate with his thugs thereby selling plots of the land belonging to Government.
“Among his illegal activities within the Corporation’s New Iyin Road Estate, Chief Anthony Olasehinde Omole, has altered the Layout of the Estate while carrying out illegal sales of the Government land. As a result of these, the Corporation on several occasions made public announcements to warn the general public from dealing with Chief Oloro on land transactions in their interest.”
“Chief Anthony Olasehinde’s damages to Plots 12 and 13 of Block ‘S’ that has been duly allocated to Dr. Sule Folayan Lawal is one of the several damages and distortions of the Estate Layout because he is fully aware of the State Government’s presence in the Estate, yet he continued to brag to clients of the Corporation who have presented several letters of complaints about his illegal activities within the Estate that there is nothing that can be done to him by the State Government.”
“He has continued the sales of land within the Estate and he is personally encouraging his clients to continue developments of the illegally sold plots of land within the Estate despite the pending matter in the Court.”
However, the alleged suspect had been arraigned in court to face criminal charges preferred against him.
The case had been adjourned to 16th February 2023 for further hearing.