I Want My Land Back, Retired Soldier Cries Out

 

By Solomon Odeniyi

A retire soldier, Osunrotimi Julius has sought the assistance of well meaning residents of the state to help reclaim his piece of land forcefully taken from him.

Osunrotimi, 60, said he bought the land at Ibu-Aje Area in Osogbo, measuring 50 by 100 feet for the sum of N30,000 from his friend, Mr Najib Olademeji on June 25th 2002 and was given the receipt on April 13, 2003.

The retired soldier said he came back from Lagos in 2012 to find an uncompleted building on the land.

He added, “I went there at intervals to clear bush from the land pending the time God will provide money to build a house on it. During one of the intervals, I bought a lorry load of gravel and two loads of sand to the site, which eventually disappeared. I met with Mr Najib Oladimeji who told me that he knew nothing about the disappearance of the gravel and sand on the land’’

He alleged that on e Mr Rasak Balogun resold the said land together with the lorry load of gravel and sand deposited on it, but later promised to compensate him with another.

He said, “I was promised another plot of land with the intervention of well meaning people while he is not around. A man popularly called Landlord sent a message to me that the plot of land Razaq promised was ready and requested for the building plan from me with the aim to erect foundation on the land and I released the document to him. He there after collected the total sum of N74,000 for the purpose of making the foundation.

“My life was also threatened by the man called Landlord when I returned from Lagos to inspect the foundation and discovered that nothing was done on the land. And money collected from me was not refunded. The one plot of land given to me also disappeared.”

When one of the alleged individuals simply called Baba Jebayokun was contacted by our correspondent, he  said he was not the one that collected the land from him, adding that he just wanted to help him.

According to him, “What I knew was that Osunrotimi was asked to pay a sum of money which he has refused to pay”.