Ogun residents say land allocated to investors threatens their homes

Families in Fere and Oniporogun communities in Orile-Mo, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, say they face losing their homes after land they live on was allocated to Chinese investors.

The residents called for a protest on Saturday at the disputed site and appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to step in. They said bulldozers and security personnel had been sent to the land, where houses and other property stand.

They are asking the state government to stop work there and call an urgent meeting with community leaders and other parties to settle the matter.

No consultation, traditional ruler says

The Baale of Fere, Chief Okesola Alani, said residents have been raising the need to extend the village with the government since 2017 without a resolution.

He said the community pulled its own resources to bring in electricity, and that many people used their savings to buy land and put up buildings.

Alani said the community does not oppose development, but wants it to sit alongside their homes. "We don't have any place to go," he said.

He alleged that no traditional leader was contacted before the allocation, and that police and heavy equipment arrived without warning. "None of us was contacted," he said.

He said there is enough land nearby for industry without touching existing homes, and asked the governor to protect residents so they can live peacefully with the investors.

Alani said he holds traditional recognition from the Olu of Orileemo, the Ologbon of Imo and the Alake of Egbaland as the community's recognised head.

Landlords say they followed the rules

Salau Hamid, acting chairman of the Community Development Association for Oniporogun and Fere, said more than 300 residents have completed or ongoing buildings in the affected area.

He said it is painful that people building homes in a hard economy now face losing them, and asked the government to suspend any demolition until there is consultation.

Landlord Ipadeola Afeez said many owners obtained survey plans, ratification documents and assessments, and some hold Certificates of Occupancy. "We have done all the necessary documents that government said we should do," he said.

He alleged that some people are using the Chinese investment as cover to seize community land, and asked the state and federal governments to rescue residents from land grabbers.

Afeez also said the planned development covers parts of the community where residents have buried their ancestors.

Another resident, businesswoman Komaya Rachael, appealed to the governor to help secure their land.

Punch reported that calls to Segun Fowora, Special Adviser and Director-General of the Ogun State Bureau of Lands and Survey, did not go through because his phone was switched off.

What happens next

Residents want Abiodun to order a pause on activity at the site and convene a meeting of traditional rulers, landlords, the CDA and other stakeholders. Until the state responds, the families say their homes and savings remain at risk.