Ataoja Warns Nigerian Army Against Cheating, Selling Of Osogbo Land

• Seeks FG Intervention

The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji, has called on the Federal Government to intervene in the land dispute between indigenes of the town and the Nigerian Army.

Oba Oyetunji, who spoke in his palace in Osogbo, on Tuesday, was reacting to the reports that the Nigerian Army had started selling the land located at Kelebe-Omu area of the town for a sum of N7.5m per 500 square metres.

OSUN DEFENDER recalled that an Osun State High Court, sitting in Ile-Ife and presided over by Justice O. Ayoola, had on January 10, 2023, asked the army to vacate the 3,646 acres of land belonging to the land owners.

READ: Osun Govt Directs Learning, Recitation Of Reintroduced National Anthem In Schools

Oba Oyetunji, who said no indigene of Osogbo should be subjected to any manner of inhuman treatment over their involvement in the land tussle, called for the intervention of government and other stakeholders on the matter.

The monarch said: “The army should not cheat my subjects on the land located at Kelebe area in Osogbo. We are not troublemakers. We have been saying this before now and we won’t allow anyone to engage in trouble.

“I plead with the federal and state governments to please look into the matter critically. They should order the Nigerian Army to relinquish the possession of the land.”

The monarch said court had given verdict in favour of the people of Osogbo, adding that the copy of the judgment was with him.

“The court has given its verdict in our favour and we have a copy of the judgment. No one is above the law because the law is above even those that made it,” he said.

The leader of Kelebe-Omu Landowners Association, Chief Amodu Akanbi, alleged that despite the court judgment given in favour of the association, the Nigerian Army had continued to hold onto the land, adding that a firm hired by the military has been instructed to be selling the land.

Akanbi said: “The Post-Service Housing Development Limited incorporated by the Nigerian Army to manage the said land is selling it plot-by-plot, with the sum of N7.5 million for 500sqm and N15m for 1000sqm to private individuals.

“Kelebe-Omu Landowners Association comprises the good people of Osogbo across 45 family compounds in Osogbo and Olorunda local government areas of Osun State.

“We are here to expose the constant disobedience of the Nigerian Army to judgment of the court and the rule of law, which is threatening the peace of the public, especially Osogbo, the Osun State capital, hence, the intervention of the higher authority is urgently required.

“In compliance with the court judgment, we visited our land to execute the court judgment, but some military personnel led by one Alayande forcefully dragged, harassed, beat us, destroyed our vehicles, and took about 30 of us to Ede Barack, threatening to kill us if we dare come on the land again.

“It took the intervention of our father, the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, before we could be released.”

Akanbi warned members of the public against buying Kelebe-Omu land from the Nigerian Army, saying that all transactions after the January 10, 2023 court judgment amounted to contempt of court.