An estate agent, Otunba Kehinde Adeosun, has been battered by angry youths in Abule -Egba area of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, for allegedly storming the area with thugs to remove the roofs, doors and windows of their houses.
The victim who is nursing a broken skull is receiving treatment at a hospital. The suspected thugs also vandalised the house of a local chief who had fled the area to avoid being attacked. P.m News gathered that youths in the community mobilized and went to the agent’s house to attack him and his son.
The clash followed a land dispute which had lingered for many years in the area but was recently resolved by a Supreme Court judgement, affirming the Iyorun Family of Awori Abule-Egba as the rightful owner of the controversial land.
However, it was alleged that some of the landlords who occupied the land refused to comply with the court judgment.
P.m News learnt that trouble began between Adeosun and the youths when he was contracted by Iyorun Family to carry out the development of the landed property after the family won the court case.
He was also mandated by the family to ask occupants of the land to pay N6 million for the ratification of ownership of their houses on the land.
It was alleged that Adeosun with some thugs went to the area to vandalise the houses of those he considered to have defied the court judgment.
And in annoyance, the affected youths allegedly went to his house to attack him.
Speaking with P.m News in the hospital, Adeosun said: “I was asked to manage the property and most of the landlords occupying the land have paid for the ratification of their houses, including a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG). Those who are now fomenting trouble are the ones that refused to pay.
“ Instead of them to comply they went to employ the services of Prince Adedipe Ewenla, another estate agent, who led over a hundred of thugs to attack me and my son with guns and broken bottles. They also took N1, 150, 000 in my car. I wanted to use the money when I travel to Abuja.”
However, Ewenla has denied mobilizing thugs to attack Adeosun, saying that he was attacked by the aggrieved youths of the community who perhaps may have protested the removal of their roofs.
“I am not fighting Otunba. He is the one oppressing the community members with thugs and destroying their buildings without any demolition order from the court. I have three properties in the community and one of them is affected. The landlords have agreed to pay the N6 million demanded by the Iyorun family. But they asked the family to allow them pay instalmentally,” he said.
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