School alumni, community fight over land ownership in Ogun

There is a trouble brewing in Olokuta area of Abeokuta South, Ogun State, following an alleged plan by the Abeokuta Grammar School Old Students Association to take over land belonging to residents of the community.

Informant247 gathered that, the residents of Graceland Estate in the Olokuta community alleged that some members of the alumni association invaded their community in the early hours of Monday to destroy a new building worth N30m.

They also accused the group of demolishing a perimeter fence worth N1.5m.

The crisis had reportedly started when the old students went into the community to mark houses for demolition and asked residents on the estate to vacate their homes over an allegation that they encroached on some land belonging to the school.

The association was also said to have sued the residents to court, accusing them of erecting structures illegally on their land.

Wale Soaga,the owner of the demolished house insisted that members of the association demolished his building.

Shoaga, who claimed to have left the building late on Sunday evening, said the school’s alumni had been dragging the land with him since he started the construction.

He said, “I started the roofing last week Thursday. The carpenter finished on Sunday. When I got here on Monday morning, I saw massive destruction; they destroyed all the building. The whole house is worth over N30m, and everything has been destroyed.

“I suspect members of the Abeokuta Grammar School Old Students Association. I remember when I was constructing the house sometime last year December, one of them came with some thugs. He told me that all the houses in the estate would be destroyed and they would collect the land from us. I have reported to the police. I want them to be prosecuted.”

The Publicity Secretary of Graceland Estate, David Ogunsanya, said most residents bought their land from a prominent Egba chief, Ade Oyalowo, and were given documents to back their purchase.