Residents of Oko Olomi town in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, staged a peaceful protest to express their dissatisfaction with the continued allocation of their land by Gabba, despite a subsisting court injunction.

Speaking on behalf of the community, Oludare Adesanya, Esq., accompanied by Anthony Sidi, Esq., stated that the community had obtained an interlocutory injunction in 2017, restraining System Development from further selling, alienating, or taking any action on the land.

However, to their surprise, they has continued to allocate the land, in clear disobedience of the court order. Adesanya emphasized that the community will follow the law to the letter and abide by the final judgment of the court.

The community appreciated the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Egbetokun, for maintaining peace in the area and called on his office to strengthen institutions to obey the court order.

The protesters also urged the federal government, the IGP, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, and the Lagos State Government to encourage parties to respect court judgments.

Adesanya warned that the community would not encourage anyone to claim the land under the guise of being allocated by the federal or state Government, and called on System Development to stop threatening their inheritance.

The community also drew attention to a pending injunction in Ita panpa town, restraining System Development from taking any action on the land, and appealed to the world, Nigeria, and the authorities to encourage parties to maintain peace and forestall any breakdown of law and order.

Chief Muridu Lateef Eleku, Baale of Oko Olomi community, expressed his gratitude to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Egbetokun, for the Nigerian Police’s support in the community’s ongoing land dispute.

“The family that is involved in this matter is Okun Eleku family of Oko Olomi, Ita Panpa, and others in total it is about 13 communities,” Chief Eleku stated.

He revealed that the land dispute began on April 16th, 2016, when land grabbers invaded their community, demolishing houses and killing some residents. The community has since been pursuing justice through the courts.

Despite obtaining court orders, the community has faced challenges in accessing their land, with the perpetrators disobeying court orders. However, Chief Eleku praised the IGP and the Nigerian Police for their intervention, which has helped to restore access to their land.

The community leader specifically thanked the IGP for his support, stating that the police’s involvement has been instrumental in their struggle for justice. The gathering was convened to express the community’s appreciation for the police’s support and to reaffirm their commitment to seeking a peaceful resolution to the land dispute.