Hoodlums terrorise Lagos community, destroy over 100 houses

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Residents of Oke Afa, Ilamose village near Ejigbo, Lagos on Friday fled their shops and homes in panic as hoodlums went on the rampage in the area.

Our correspondent counted over 100 houses destroyed by the hoodlums.

The hoodlums were protesting against a court judgement which allegedly favoured one Abiodun Ojo popularly known as Ojo Barber on a land dispute.

The youths numbering over 30 were seen holding weapons and moving from one building to the other destroying them. They also destroyed vehicles and looted shops.

Many of the injured residents said the hoodlums were hired to carry out the rampage.

However, a pastor who heads a Redeemed Christian Church of God Church, Chapel of His Glory, on Adejumo Tennis Club Road, spoke through the church publicist, Adeola Oshiyemi.

He said, “The tussle began about 12 years ago when the said Ojo Barber got an injunction to take possession of the land sold to us by one Dr. Osibogun in 2002.

“They levied us N3.6m as an entity but we could not pay it, so we hired a lawyer to fight our cause.

“My church was shut by these boys in November 2012 for three months until the lawyer got an injunction from the court for stay of action before the church was reopened. As I speak to you now, our church has been attacked; the fence and the decked part of the building destroyed.

“If you win in court, do you go on the rampage destroying things or you formally send a letter to us?”

When the lawyer to Abiodun Ojo was contacted on telephone to speak on the attacks by the hoodlums, he denied any attack on the residents.

He later said that his client got the judgement six years ago and waited long for the residents to come and pay, but they did not.

“When you get a judgement of over six years and the people are not turning up, what do you expect us to do? This case has taken three lives. I am not a judge and the file is in the court for you to see,” he said.

The secretary of the community was said to be in a meeting and promised to return our correspondent’s call after the meeting. As of the time of filing this report, he had not called back.

Source: Punch