By Abimbola Ogunnaike
The Ogun State Police Command has threatened that as from now on it will start treating land grabbers terrorising the state as armed robbers and murderers.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said land grabbers are more or less armed robbers in their mode of operations and actions.
Oyeyemi, who spoke on a radio station in Abeokuta, on Tuesday, 25 April, 2023 , decried the spate of lawlessness by some acclaimed land owners who hire thugs to invade Ogun communities with arms.
“Those people you call land grabbers are armed robbers. They have guns and all forms of dangerous weapons. They may claim they have a court judgment; they will now gather thugs in a vehicle with guns and other weapons. They will send some people out of their communities and those villagers will never be allowed to return. They will slaughter people’s goats and chickens to eat. Are they not armed robbers?”Oyeyemi said.
“If you win a case, it is not your right to go and execute the judgment as an individual. The court bailiff is the one to execute the judgment and he will go with the police. But these land grabbers will get judgments on one plot of land and they will extend it to over 30 acres,” the state police imager-maker added.
Oyeyemi issued a stern warning, saying: “If they are caught, the Ogun State anti-land grabbing law would be used to prosecute them. If they kill somebody, they will be charged with murder. If they hijack what belongs to another person, we’ll charge them for armed robbery. They should be warned.”
