Nine suspected land grabbers in Ogun police net

Men of the Ogun State Police Command on Sunday arrested nine suspected members of a notorious land grabbing syndicate for allegedly unleashing violence on the people of Agbogun village, in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects, Gbenga Odeniyi, Owolabi Shobayo, Michael Ramoni, Idowu Dauda, Femi Fadahunsi, Rasmus Hammed, Ade Lukman, Yakubu Akinwande and Sikiru Balogun, were arrested following a tip-off.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Oyeyemi said the policemen attached to the Obada-Oko divisional headquarters received a distress call from the baale of the village.

The PPRO said the village head told the police that the land grabbers, who came from different areas of Ifo, Atan, Gasline and Sango-Ota, invaded the village and attacked residents, including extorting money from those working on their sites.

Oyeyemi said, “Upon the distress call, the DPO Obada-Oko division, CSP Benard Ediagbonya, mobilised a patrol team to the scene where they met the suspects attacking one Mrs Oniyide Folashade and one Mrs Agbogun, who were developing their sites.

 “On sighting the policemen, the hoodlums took to their heels but were chased and nine among them were apprehended.”

Oyeyemi said the state Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, had ordered a manhunt for the rest of the hoodlums.

“He also warned land grabbers to steer clear of the state as the command under his watch will not tolerate any form of violence on the good people of the state from anyone or group no matter how highly placed such persons might be,” the PPRO added.