Residents of journalists estate petition Inspector General of Police over monarch alleged sponsored attack

The residents of Journalists Estate Phase One, Arepo in Obafemi-Owode local government area of Ogun State have petitioned the Inspector General of Police over alleged threat to their lives by traditional ruler of the community, Atanda Oyebi and his chiefs.

Penpushing reports that, the petition signed by  Olufunke Fadugba (Chairman) and Toye Olori (General Secretary)  on behalf of the  Journalists’ Estate Residents Development Association (hereafter referred to as JERDA Phase 1)  called on police authorities to come their rescue from tyranny and oppression being meted out to them by the monarch and his cohorts

‘We, the residents of Journalists Estate Phase One Arepo, under the auspices of Journalists’ Estate Residents Development Association (hereafter referred to as JERDA Phase 1) supplicate for your urgent protection from the tyranny and oppression being meted to us by the traditional ruler of Arepo, the Olu of Arepo,Obama Atanda Oyebi, his chiefs and residents of an adjoining estate known as BERA’, the petition reads.

‘The residents of BERA are the buffers between the swampy area of Arepo, which has been a haven to oil pipeline vandals and those involved in illegal oil bunkering; a situation which necessitated military presence in Arepo till the present time. Journalist Estate Phase 1 (JERDA1) has long been in existence prior to the establishment of BERA in the land abutting the swampy area where NNPC Pipelines go through’.

‘The genesis of our problem is the fact that we continue to put in place security measures to deter the Olu of Arepo, his Chiefs and other unscrupulous elements from going through our estate unchallenged and that attempt to augment the security provided by government has continued to irritate them, as they are prevented from driving trucks through our estate to siphon petroleum products as they had been doing for many years now’.

‘Sometime last year the Government of Ogun State decided to reconstruct the long stretch of Road leading into Arepo, called Journalists Estate Road and the reconstruction commenced in earnest and, in fact, has now reached an advanced stage’.

‘In order to make way for the road being constructed, the contractor had cause to remove the “welcome to Journalist Estate Phase 1” arch. Having made appreciable progress past our main entrance, where the old arch stood since 2003’

‘We duly applied to the Ogun State Government by letter dated December 16, 2021 (copy attached as L1), to have the arch re-erected at our main entrance. On January 10th, 2022, we sent a reminder letter concerning the same matter (copy attached as L2).   Permission to erect the entrance arch was given by the Ogun State Government vide letter dated 28th January, 2022 (copy attached as L3)’, the petition explained.

‘Pursuant to the permission granted by the Ogun State Government, we re-erected the entrance arch on 7th February, 2022, at cost running into millions of Naira. On the same date, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, came to see the re-constructed arch. A photograph of the reconstructed arch is attached as L4’, the petitioners emphasised.

‘To our utter disbelief, on 8th February 2022, sometime in the morning, our security reported a huge crowd of people approaching our entrance gate and marching distinctively in front of the crowd were notable Chiefs of the Olu of Arepo, namely the Babalaje of Arepo; the Otun of Arepo; and another Chief called Eruobodo’.

‘These men and other Chiefs led a motley crowd of boys armed with all manners of cudgels, dane guns and pump action rifles. They openly threatened to deal with anyone who dared to challenge them and proceeded to start damaging the base of the erected Arc with diggers and steel hammers’.

‘Not long these Chiefs and the armed thugs they brought were joined by some residents of BERA. The attackers later got an articulated truck with a chain, mounted the arch, wrapped the chain to its centre and used the truck to violently pull the Arc down with force, thereby damaging it’.

‘The Chiefs openly told us anyone within earshot that they have been ordered to pull the arch down by the Olu of Arepo, because we had refused to pay him homage before re-erecting the arch’.

‘The Chiefs informed us that the Olu of Arepo is bigger than the government and no government will dictate what would happen in his kingdom and that those who defy him will suffer the consequences, an example of which they are now showing us by destroying the arch we erected the previous day’.

‘In the process of pulling down the arch, the obviously hired hoodlums brought by the Olu of Arepo and his Chiefs openly brandished their weapons, cutlasses, guns, axes, sticks, broken bottles, etc and dared us or our security personnel to try and intervene’.

‘For the few of us known to represent the estate, the Chiefs and their boys told us categorically that we are no longer safe in the Arepo Community and that they would kidnap us and nothing would be heard of us again’.

‘We asked our security personnel not to engage them in any words or respond to the aggressive brandishing of weapons. We also kept quiet as we were under a siege by armed men, most of whom were definitely hired hoodlums’.

‘The pattern of threats of physical violence and kidnap were to continue when on the 10th of February, 2022, a visitation team came into our estate from the Ogun State Ministry of Physical planning and Urban Development and had a joint meeting with us, the Olu of Arepo Chiefs and resident of the adjoining BERA Estate’.

‘In the course of the meeting, a particular Chief called the Babaloja openly pointed to our Legal Adviser and also one of our residents, Abdul-Aziz Jimoh, Esq. and told him pointedly that he was a marked man since he had the nerve to be particularly vocal against the Arepo Chiefs over the destruction of the arch’.

‘Indeed Mr. Jimoh was one of the speakers at the parley held with the Ministry officials and had even read out loudly the letter granting us permission to re-erect the arch. Several other suspiciously looking boys came towards him in the presence of witnesses and stared at him in turns before rejoining the Chiefs. The Babaloja and the other Chiefs who have been threatening us can be identified by us in any identification parade of the Olu of Arepo Chiefs’.

‘Sir, of utmost importance to our residents now is that no harm comes to any of us as we now live in fear of the Olu of Arepo and his Chiefs, who not only destroyed our property (the arch), but audaciously brought armed hired hoodlums and other strange faces to threaten us publicly’.

‘ We are impelled to seek your urgent intervention because the Olu of Arepo and his Chiefs have been boasting to our hearing on 10th February, 2022, that they have connections in Abuja and that nothing will come out of the various reports and petition made to our State Police Command’

‘The reason for wanting to prevent us securing our estate by an arch, for which we have government permission, is to enable thoroughfare for trucks to be driven through our gate for the purposes of illicit oil bunkering down the NNPC line, suspiciously with complicities with some residents of BERA’.

‘We therefore request the presence of security men to enable us re-erect another arch. The Olu of Arepo and his Chiefs must pay for the cost of replacement and re-erecting or be charged to Court for criminal damage to our property’.

‘The Olu of Arepo and his Chiefs are to be made to sign undertakings that no harm will come to any of our residents in actualisation of their open threats to us; and that there would never be any re-occurrence of the wanton act of lawlessness, brigandage and self-help, and the bringing of hired hoodlums into Arepo community’.

‘The Chief called Babaloja, who was observed by witnesses on 10th February, 2022, pointing at Mr. Jimoh to some other people for purposes of being attacked must also be made to sign an undertaking that no harm will come to our Legal Adviser otherwise he would be held fully responsible. Whilst waiting for a favourable consideration of our urgent petition, Sir, please accept the assurances of our highest esteem’, the petition emphasised.

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