No fewer than 100 members of the Christian Mission for the Deaf on Monday in Ibadan protested alleged illegal acquisition of 20 acres from 39 acres of their land by the Oyo State Government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protesters led by Mr Silas Ike, the National Chairman of the body’s Board of Trustees, presented a letter of protest at the Oyo State Governor’s Office in Ibadan.

NAN reports that the protesters in their hundreds carried placards with various inscriptions which included ‘We want our land for proposed university,’ ‘Please, do not oppress the deaf,’ and ‘The deaf have rights to live better life.’

The protesters told newsmen that the mission bought the 39 acres in 2004 with a view to building a university for the deaf, the first of its kind in Africa.

Mr Isaac Omodewu, the state Commissioner for Land and Housing, who addressed the protesters after receiving their letter of protest, assured the mission that he would meet the governor on the matter.

Omodewu said that the governor was outside the state, adding he would have arranged a meeting between him and their representatives.

“I will deliver your message to the governor when he returns. I assure you that within the next one week, you will hear from us,” he said.

Ike, who spoke to newsmen after the protest, described Omodewu’s response as good enough for them, saying somebody at least listened to them.

He stated that the mission had written many letters to the commissioner between 2016 and 2018.

“We are here because we got the information that Oyo State Government wants to take over our land. The government wants to acquire the land we bought along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

“We bought this land in 2004, and the total land we bought then was 39 acres.

“Our intention of acquiring this land is to transfer our nursery school, primary school, secondary school and technical school to the place.

“We also intend to build a university for the deaf on the land. The university we are thinking of building for the deaf is going to be the first of its kind in the whole of Africa,” he said.

Ike stated that prior to the protest, he had led a delegation of Christian Mission for the Deaf to a meeting with Omodewu last week Tuesday where they got to know the letters did not get to him.

“Our discussion with him showed us that all the letters we have been writing did not reach him. He told us personally that he had not heard about our case,’’ he said. (NAN)

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