Residents of Mesiogo Estate in the Akobo area of
Ibadan, Oyo State, have secured a court injunction against the planned action
of the 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Adekunle Fajuyi Cantonment, to demolish
their houses and take over the land.
PUNCH Metro had reported that landlords
in the area said some soldiers from the barracks came last week to inform them
that the land on which the estate was located fell within the military barracks
boundaries.
The landlords had said they were told that they
encroached on the military land and that they
should pay fine for doing so or their houses
would be demolished.
Spokesman for the community, Amos Ishola, had
said the estate was one of the private estates built by a former Oyo State
Governor, late Kolapo Ishola, and that there were documents that clearly showed
that the community did not encroach on the military land.
The landlord claimed that the cantonment had been
threatening them since their houses were marked for demolition by the soldiers.
Our correspondent, who visited the area, had
noted that all houses in the estate were marked with new pillars erected to
show that the land on which the estate was built belonged to the barracks. A
caterpillar was seen marking out the boundaries.
When contacted, Deputy Director, Army Public
Relations, Col. Ezinma Idima, had insisted that the estate was built on the
military land.
He had said, “The truth is that, that community
is one of the communities that encroached on the military land. Over the years,
we have been making effort to reclaim it. A ministerial committee was put in
place in 2010 which recommended that the people that encroached on the land
should be allowed to pay for it. The money will be used to demarcate the army
barracks from the communities. They know that they encroached on army land,
including Mesiogo Estate. We are only trying to be sympathetic with them.”
However, the order of interim injunction obtained
by the community restrained the army from “trespassing, demolishing, disposing
or in any way interfering with the peaceful enjoyment of first to third
claimants’ parcels of land situate lying at Mesiogo Estate… pending the hearing
and determination of a motion on notice for an order of interlocutory
injunction.”
But Idima said he was not aware that the community
got a court injunction against the military formation.
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