Crime
Lagos Task Force arrests 6 land grabbers at Ipaja
The Lagos State Environmental Enforcement and Special Offences Unit (Taskforce) on Tuesday disclosed the arrest of six land grabbing syndicate operating at Command Secondary School, Ipaja, Lagos State, and its environs.
The Public Relations Office of the Lagos State Environmental Enforcement and Special Offences Unit (Taskforce), Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, in a statement on Tuesday, identified arrested land grabbers as Adekola Shoderu, 50; Gbenga Oladipupo, 47; Philip Gabriel, 40; Fatai Yusuf, 43; Ibrahim Mustapha, 38, and Olanrewaju Ifetijesu.
The PRO stated that the suspects were arrested while trying to forcefully take possession of land spanning 12 hectres belonging to Lagos State Ministry of Housing. He added that the suspects are known for perpetrating such criminal acts around the vicinity for a long time.
Gbadeyan Abdulraheem narrated: “luck ran out on them when they allegedly tried to obtain money from the building contractors working on the site, who alerted the agency’s officials before their arrest.
“This set of land grabbers has been known to terrorise the Ipaja axis and we have been on their lookout for a while.
“The agency has said it times without number that there is no room for land grabbers or Omo-onile in Lagos and anyone still involved in the practice would be made to face the wrath of the law.”
Abdulraheem explained that the Lagos State Ministry of Housing is in Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Prosper Gardens Properties to build structures on the land for residents of Lagos. He lamented that the activities of the land grabbers obstructed work on the site as they constantly threaten the workers with harmful weapons, demanding for payment of the land from the contractors.
The PRO stated: “The Lagos State Government is putting everything in place to actualise its mandate of improvement in physical infrastructure, housing and security.
“These suspected criminals try to undermine these efforts with their selfish actions.
“We will not condone it now or ever. That is why we are going all out to arrest and prosecute anyone involved in land grabbing activities.”
The PRO encouraged residents of Lagos State to report any suspected land grabbing person or group to the agency directly or through the social media channels.