Arrest of royal father sparks crisis in Lagos community

By Bose Adelaja

A popular saying has it that where two elephants fight, the grass suffers. This aptly describes the present state of Imowo-nla community in Ikorodu area of Lagos State where the land owners popularly called Omo-Oniles have taken the law into their hands, threatening the peace of this ancient community in the process.

It started as a seemingly harmless quarrel in the Ifegunwa family, but this later took an ugly turn when dangerous weapons were freely employed in the fight that broke out among rival factions. Eventually one of the factions prevailed over the other in the process of which some innocent lives were lost.

The bloody crisis has prompted many to flee the community, with some residents alleging that one of the factions has the backing of some police men deployed to keep the peace there. When Vanguard Metro, VM, visited Imowo-nla, the few residents in the town could not hide their anger as they accused the Police of taking sides in the quarrel.

They told this reporter that some hoodlums were arrested with dangerous weapons about two years ago, but that the matter was swept under the carpet to favour one of the factions. According to them, the culprits were not prosecuted and are still walking freely in the town.

They also informed that rather than be intimidated by the heavy presence of law enforcement agents, the hoodlums have become sufficiently emboldened to employ new tactics in their nefarious activities. The development has also been linked to the gruesome murder of two policemen in May 2013 and seizure of four rifles from the cops. The killing of the cops prompted the Nigeria Police Force to swing into action to fish out the culprits. Some suspects were said to have been arrested in connection with this.

Worse still, the royal father of a neighbouring community, the Obateru of Egbin royal kingdom Adeoriyomi Oyebo Akeem, was alleged to have masterminded the recent crises in the community, a reason for which he was remanded in prison.

When VM visited Imowo-nla on two separate occasions, there were conflicting accounts over the arrest of the royal father, although two indigenes of the land (names withheld) confessed that they witnessed the May 21 crises where the hoodlums were led by the royal father.

Some of the victims of the attack want the culprits of the dastardly acts to be brought to book. An octogenarian, the Alagbolire of Ikorodu, Madam Adunni Tijani, said the incident has taken a serious toll on residents. ‘’This community used to be a beehive of activities, but this is no longer the case as many residents are now in exile,’’ she said.

A resident, Mr. Nurudeen Olumide, said he has relocated his family to Sagamu as a result of the crises. “I have relocated my family to Sagamu while I remain here due to its proximity to my place of work,’’ he informed.

Another resident, Madam Oriolape Adeoye, said she has relocated to Ijede, a neighbouring community as a result of the incessant fracas. ‘’I lost my husband during one of the fracas. He was on his way to the farm around 6am, in 2011, when the hoodlums attacked and killed him. Recently, my cousin was kidnapped and tied to a tree before he was released; since then, his health has been failing,’’ she said.

Chairman Joint Community Development Association, Imowo-nla, Mr Aseez Sikiru, was not on seat when VM visited. The traditional ruler was indisposed but the Secretary to the Ifegunwa family, Idowu Olaribigbe, informed that the Police are still investigating the matter. ‘’Government should rescue this community; we believe the Police will do a thorough job this time around,’’ he stated optimistically.

A visit to Egbin Kingdom, revealed that although the community is the host of Nigeria’s biggest power generating plant, the Egbin Thermal Station, electricity is a luxury that residents have not been lucky to enjoy for a long time. Also, a source in the community informed that about 1000 hectares of land were acquired by the Federal Government for developmental purposes with a promise to use part of the proceeds to develop the town but the government is yet to fulfill the promise.

Apart from bad roads, a walk round the town showed three moribund public boreholes with residents trekking several kilometres to get potable water for their use.

Some residents who did not want their names in print told VM the accused royal father’s knew nothing about the matter, saying his arrest was a ploy to destabilise his kingdom.

‘’The king was not satisfied with the way the community is being maginalised and has been making effort to put things right. We believe he has stepped on powerful toes who have vowed to make life unbearable for him. But the gods will not rest until the truth is established,’’ they chorused.