Residents and landowners in Igbesa, Ogun State, under the Concerned Land Owners? Association, have protested against alleged forceful acquisition and demolition of properties on 158 hectares of land by Chinese companies operating within the Guandong Free Trade Zone.

The landowners called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene urgently and stop what they described as a systematic displacement and economic disenfranchisement of indigent citizens for the benefit of foreign investors.

The aggrieved families, who staged a peaceful protest, decried the alleged encroachment by the Chinese firms, supported by armed anti-riot police officers, military personnel, the State Security Service (SSS) as well as thugs.

According to them, this is the second time in less than two years that they have publicly protested what they described as the illegal takeover of their ancestral land beyond the officially allocated portion granted to the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone in 2007.

Journalists who accompanied the protesters to the disputed site observed ongoing demolition activities.

A bulldozer was seen clearing debris from what the residents claimed were homes, farms, schools, religious buildings, and small-scale industries.

Armed security personnel were also stationed on the land.

Some of the affected individuals told newsmen that they had lawfully purchased their plots and obtained clearance from the Ogun State Bureau of Lands and Survey, which, they said, confirmed that the lands were not under government acquisition.

A school proprietor, Mrs. Ngozi Paul tearfully recounted the loss of her school and students? hostels, which she said consumed her life savings.

?We verified from the land bureau before purchase. The land was clean,? she stated.

A block industry operator, Alhaji Mukaila Alao, echoed similar sentiments. ?I conducted proper due diligence and obtained necessary documents. Now they have destroyed everything under the guise of expansion,? he lamented.

Pastor Durodola Ayokanmi, another affected landowner, claimed several people have been intimidated and even lost their lives during the prolonged land dispute.

?We have gone to court, visited the Lands Bureau in Abeokuta, yet they returned with armed men and began demolishing our properties,? he said.

Chairman of the association, Hon. Ajose Solomon, explained that the community had initially resisted giving land to the state government in 2007 but eventually conceded 250 hectares after extensive consultations, which was surveyed and demarcated for the Free Trade Zone.

He said a similar arrangement was made with Ejila-Awori community for 398.489 hectares, adding that the land in Igbesa was designated as Phase 2 of the project.

Ajose claimed that the peaceful coexistence between the community and the Chinese companies turned sour in 2017 when the firms began encroaching beyond the agreed boundary, destroying farmlands and pasting demolition notices on buildings.

Another protester, Mr. Kehinde Owolabi, alleged that the Chinese companies claimed to have a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for 2,000 hectares allegedly transferred by the Ogun State Property Investment Company (OPIC).

However, he said repeated requests to see the gazette or official survey documents have been ignored.

?They wrote false petitions to the police, SSS and other agencies, leading to arrests and court charges against us, yet they never present proper documentation to back their claims,? Owolabi stated.

Efforts to get an official response from the Guandong Free Trade Zone management proved abortive.

An official, who later agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, claimed OPIC acquired 8,000 hectares of land and allocated 2,000 hectares to the Chinese companies under the trade zone scheme.

In response, the aggrieved families challenged the authorities to produce the official Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) for the 2,000 hectares, stating that any verification with the Lands Bureau would reveal it is not gazetted. (The Guardian)

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