Osun Varsity Calls For Govt Help Over Activities Of Land Grabbers
The management of Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State, has cried over the activities of land grabbers who have taken over its large expanse of land.
The management appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, to save the school from the armed land grabbers.
Addressing newsmen at the University campus in Osogbo on Thursday, the institution’s registrar, Mr Sheriff Adenekan, disclosed that hoodlums allegedly backed by land grabbers and armed with dangerous weapons usurped the institution’s 124.349 hectares of land located at Agric Farm Settlement area, in Oke Osun.
He recalled that the university became the legal owner of the land in reference to the Yoruba Native Law and Custom applicable to the people of Osogbo in 2005, stressing that necessary documents, including Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of the land, was obtained on January 5, 2006 from Osun State Ministry of Lands.
The alleged encroachment on the piece of land, according to the Registrar, constituted a serious threat to the safety of students, staff members, and developmental projects of the university.
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He noted that efforts to dislodge the land grabbers through the Police had been counterproductive, urging the Inspector General of Police to come to the school’s aid.
He said, “It was very shocking when certain individuals suddenly stormed the land sometime in October 2024 and forcefully entered it in all very violent manners. The land grabbers, in a style suspicious of conspiratorial gangsterism, destroyed the signposts and other valuables of the university. They hurriedly began to fraudulently sell the land to unwary members of the public.
“The university reported the incident at the nearest police station and the matter ultimately reached Zone 11 Police headquarters, Osogbo. But it was very disappointing that members of staff of the university were arrested and prosecuted by the same Police to which the university had reported the incident.
“It is instructive to further state that there is no any court judgment invalidating the title of the university over the entire land. The university made wide consultations with the community leaders, head,s and stakeholders over this ugly developmen,t yet the activities of the land grabbers continue unabated,” he stated.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
