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On Thursday, April 14, 2022, a team of Task Force accompanied by security operatives stormed a community in the Okokomaiko area of Lagos to pull down about 16 houses.
The demolition exercise took place on Catholic Mission street after years of efforts by the landlords on the street to avert the demolition of their residences.
Standing on the rubbles of his demolished mansion, one of the landlords, Alhaji Adebisi Akande, said there had been a lingering crisis on an expanse of land between landlords in the community and the authorities of Lagos State University (LASU).
It is believed that the expanse of land behind one of the three fences of the university belongs to the institution but some Omo-onile (landowners) took over the land some years ago and sold it to unsuspecting buyers.
Akande, who moved to the area in 2004 said since the landlords realised that the area genuinely belongs to LASU, they had taken all the steps the ‘school authorities’ asked them to take to ensure their properties are not demolished.
One of such steps according to Akande is the regularisation fee the school authorities allegedly imposed on the troubled landlords to make the situation officially accepted by the university management.
“During Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration, they asked some of us to pay N1.2m but those of us on this line were not given the approval to pay the fee. But there are two landlords who have paid N250,000 and their properties were still brought down,” he said.
Mr Omojola Ademola, another landlord disclosed to this reporter that despite paying the regularisation fee, his house was demolished.
“They asked us to pay over N3m depending on the square metre of everyone’s land. But the former Vice-Chancellor, Adigun Fagbohun and former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Idiat Adebule pleaded on our behalf and they reduced it to N1, 250,000. We were expected to pay the N250k first which was meant for the survey and deed of assignment. I have already paid mine in 2019, and I have the receipts”, he disclosed.
Ademola said during the administration of Governor Ambode, they were assured that their houses would not be demolished after the completion of the regularisation process.
He said, “When the crisis started, the former Oniba of Ibaland, former Deputy Governor, and former LASU VC stepped in and Ambode ordered that the regularisation of this area should be carried out, they also promised that no house would be demolished after the regularisation exercise”.
Both Ademola and Akande confirmed that the landlords had several meetings with one Prof Ogundele, a lecturer at the institution, and a certain Mr Jonathan who they believe is a consultant to LASU.
While alleging that Ogundele and Jonathan are the architects of their misfortunes, the landlords wondered why all buildings on the street were demolished except a Catholic church.
Who are Prof Ogundele and Jonathan?
The landlords, some of whom are artisans, understand that Prof Ogundele is a LASU lecturer who heads the team that regularly speaks to them on the situation of their properties, while Jonathan claims to be a consultant to LASU.
“Ogundele is the head of the team we relate with in LASU while Jonathan is said to be a consultant for the school”, Ademola said in Yoruba language.
Following the demolition exercise, Jonathan allegedly blocked Akande on Whatsapp and refused to pick up his calls. Efforts to get to him by other landlords proved abortive as he allegedly ignored their calls.
However, when this writer reached out to him for comment on the demolition of the properties, Jonathan said he had no comment that he was only a consultant to LASU.
“Whatever concerns that place can be verified from Lagos State University Management. Whatever information you want, go to LASU, I am only a consultant”, he retorted.
But while Jonathan claimed to be a consultant to the university, the institution’s head of Centre For Information Press & Public Relations, Ademola Adekoya said he does not know any LASU consultant who goes by the name, Jonathan.
“I don’t know any Jonathan, he is not a consultant, if there is anybody that would talk about that place, it has to be members of the committee set up, those people in charge of planning. Even the demolition is beyond them. LASU cannot give a directive to demolish houses, it is not possible. I don’t know that Jonathan.”
An anonymous non-academic staffer of LASU who spoke to this writer also said he does not know any Prof Ogundele in the institution. “I don’t know anyone by that name”. He simply said.
This perhaps lends credence to the landlords’ suspicion on the demolition of their properties. Some of them alleged that Jonathan was bribed by some people to spare their buildings from being demolished.
“The area meant for demolition is down there not here, but because they have been bribed (by residents of that area) they chose to demolish this side”, Akande alleged.
Ademola echoed the same sentiment saying, “Each time representatives from the Ministry of Urban and regional planning are coming for an inspection of this area, Jonathan and Ogundele always stopped them from going to certain areas in this community.
“We are together with this church, we are on the same line, but the church was not demolished”.
Catholic church stands amid rubbles of demolished houses
On Catholic Mission street where the demolition was carried out is St Anne’s Catholic Church, an edifice that is conspicuously the most valuable property on the street. This perhaps counts for the reason the street was named after the church.
When the demolition exercise started last week, all buildings on the street including a Celestial Church of Christ, situated right in front of the Catholic church were brought down.
According to the landlords, their houses were pulled down because LASU plans to build a sewage system around the area but they wondered why the church-which is on the same street with their demolished properties- remains standing if the sewerage was the reason for the demolition exercise.
In their quest to know why the Church was not pulled down, the only answer they got from the demolition team was that the church had been handed over to LASU.
The explanation didn’t go down well with the landlords as they believed there was a conspiracy somewhere.
We have no hands in the demolition of their houses — LASU
Responding to the claim on the donation of the church to LASU, the university’s spokesperson, Adekoya told this reporter that he doesn’t know why the church was spared because LASU has nothing to do with the demolition of properties in the area.
“In a layman’s understanding, if somebody builds a house on your land, do you have the right to demolish the house? Even if that house has to be demolished, is it you that would demolish it or the court would give an order to go and demolish it?
“So, the demolition goes beyond LASU, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution does not have any right to demolish any place. That’s why I said don’t believe everything people say, they will just tell you things based on emotion and sentiment”, Adekoya said.
He, however, recalled that two years ago, 13 traditional leaders in the area and the former deputy governor met with the landlords and assured them that their properties would not be demolished.
But now, their houses have been demolished. The man that claimed to be a consultant to LASU said all questions should be directed to the management of the institution while the institution said it was not aware of the demolition exercise that took place.
If LASU has nothing to do with Jonathan who poses as a consultant to the institution, the state government needs to step in to unravel the reason why the poor landlords' houses were destroyed after a seven-day notice; why the Catholic church was spared, and more importantly, who Jonathan was working for.