Beneficiaries of the estate of the late Ajayi Bello have made a “save-our-soul” appeal to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun and Chairman, Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Prince Abiodun Ejigbadero, over alleged attacks and threats to life by suspected hoodlums at Ile-Epo Oja Market, Lagos.
The appellants, Olusola Odetola, Sherifat Soyoye (née Bello) and Kehinde Shehu (née Bello), alleged that the hoodlums have been making violent attempts to reclaim shops at the market, despite a valid court judgment awarding ownership to them.
They urged the authorities to intervene urgently: “The market is in turmoil and in danger due to repeated violent invasions.” They expressed confidence that “the governor IGP and LCDA chairman will act swiftly to prevent further bloodshed and restore peace to the market.”
The claimants had, in Suit No: ID/8649LMW/2019 before Justice Y.G. Oshoala of the Lagos High Court, secured a judgment granting them perpetual injunction over the property.
The judgment, delivered on December 18, 2023, and enforced on May 27, 2024, affirmed their statutory right of occupancy over the disputed land measuring 1.310 hectares along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Justice Oshoala held that the defendants, David Famuyiwa, Akinwumi Odeyemi and Olugbenga Sogbamu, sued on behalf of Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA and Alimosho LG had no legal right to the land and unlawfully trespassed on it. The court issued a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further interference.
The beneficiaries alleged that hoodlums armed with cutlasses, knives and guns have repeatedly stormed the market, attacking traders, employees and tenants. They said some of the incidents were captured on video:
“The Gestapo-like operation of these dreaded criminals has forced some of our tenants to consider vacating their shops for fear of being slaughtered like cows. The situation could spiral into greater violence as some market youths are already mobilising to resist the hoodlums.”
They wanted IGP and Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA chairman to take decisive action by investigating the attackers, bringing them to justice and ensuring the safety of life and property at Ile-Epo Market.
They wrote: “Our confidence rests in the ability of Governor Sanwo-Olu, IGP and Prince Ejigbadero to act decisively and restore law and order before this crisis escalates into a full-blown catastrophe.”
