The dispute between Kwara State residents and Sammya Nigeria Limited, an property developer, over a bit of land in Budo-Osho, Tanke space of Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, has taken a unique dimension.
Some landowners in Kwara State not too long ago protested on the Kwara State Government House and the state’s Bureau of Land over an alleged takeover of their properties by Sammya Nigeria Limited, an organization they accused of claiming possession of a big expanse of land and demolishing buildings belonging to residents.
However, Sammya Nigeria Limited, whereas reacting to the event on Monday, mentioned the knowledge circulating on social media alleging that buildings have been demolished at Budo-Osho, Tanke, Ilorin, on the orders of the Kwara State Government was unfaithful.
Sammya Nigeria Limited, in a press release, mentioned it acquired the land from the Kwara State Government in 2018 and acknowledged that it holds three Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) protecting three areas: Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3.
The General Manager of Sammya Nigeria Limited, Olatunji Idowu, whereas explaining the occasions resulting in the protest by the Kwara neighborhood, mentioned roughly two months in the past, when the corporate was making ready to begin improvement work in Phases 2 and three, it approached the Bureau of Lands, the federal government company answerable for land administration in Kwara State, to determine and mark constructions encroaching on its titled land.
He mentioned the Bureau of Lands carried out the train and submitted a land encroachment report back to their workplace.
“Following this train, some people who allegedly occupied parts of the titled land with out proof of possession have been knowledgeable that that they had encroached on legally titled property.
“Two days later, these people reportedly tried to disrupt our development actions. Consequently, we submitted a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Police Command, and invited neighborhood leaders, together with Akorede and the Magaji of Tapa, to deal with the scenario.
“They have been suggested to not disrupt our operations and have been directed to channel any grievances by way of the suitable authorities authorities somewhat than confronting the builders.
“When we resumed work on Friday of the earlier week, some people reportedly went to the Kwara State Government House to protest, alleging that the developer was taking up their properties and demolishing their buildings.
“According to our account, the federal government officers who attended to them contacted the related land authority, which defined that the people had encroached on titled land.
“Subsequently, the people returned to the positioning to disrupt our operations. However, safety personnel current on the location prevented them from doing so.
“On Saturday, when no construction work was scheduled, the same individuals allegedly returned to the site and began destroying sections of our perimeter fence,” Idowu mentioned.
Idowu defined additional that it was vital to make clear that the demolition train was not carried out on the orders of the Kwara State Government.
“We are the builders of the property and have obtained approval for the property format.
“The structures affected were those obstructing the planned roads within the estate and situated on our titled property. As part of the approved development, roads must be opened and obstructions within their alignments removed,” Idowu defined.
He additional mentioned, “Some buildings in the area remain standing because they were not affected by the road alignment.
“Therefore, the claim that the Kwara State Government ordered the demolition of residents’ buildings is misleading and does not reflect our account of the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he mentioned.
He mentioned Sammya Nigeria Limited had submitted an additional petition to the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Police Command, requesting an investigation into the incident.
Idowu additional alleged that, “last month, the leaders of the land grabbers in person of Magaji Akorede and Magaji Tapa were invited to the State Police Command, Ilorin, after our petition to the Commissioner of Police, not to disrupt our activities on the site again. The instructions was not complied with, they came on 10th and 11th October and destroyed our Fence and carted away other valuables”.
“We also intend to seek appropriate action against those responsible for damaging our property. We have the relevant land ownership documents, photographs, and video recordings to support our position and assist the police in their investigation,” he mentioned.
“Our place is that the incident arose from alleged encroachment on our titled land and the obstruction of accepted improvement actions, somewhat than from any demolition order issued by the Kwara State Government.
“We remain committed to developing the estate in accordance with the approved layout and to resolving any genuine disputes through the appropriate legal and governmental channels,” Idowu defined.
Idowu mentioned by acquiring the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) from the Kwara State Government by Sammya Nigeria Limited, it had met the constitutional requirement for proudly owning land anyplace in Nigeria.
Efforts to get the views of the Kwara residents (protesters) proved abortive, as our reporter couldn’t determine any of their leaders or get hold of their contacts.
