Couple accuses Lagos task force of unlawful property takeover
A couple, Kunle and Ronke Ajayi have accused the Lagos State Task Force of unlawfully locking up their property located on Plot 170B, Oyadiran Estate, Sabo in the Yaba area of Lagos State.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro, at the weekend, the wife said men from the task force office stormed their residence on Thursday, March 20, and locked up the property, citing environmental infractions.
Ajayi, who claimed to have been absent when the incident happened, added that his neighbour and two plumbers who were working on the premises were arrested and taken to their office in the Oshodi area of the state.
She said, “On Thursday, March 20, 2025, we were rudely shocked when we got a call from our plumber who was carrying out repair work on the property that some policemen numbering 30 came with guns, locked our property and put a seal of a Task Force from the Office of the Lagos state Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“These men also collected all the keys to the property, including the ones to the inner rooms. A plumber we hired to work in the house with his co-worker and another neighbour by the name of Michael, were all forcefully taken to their office at Arena.”
“They placed a seal on our gate with a stern warning that no one must remove it. It stated that we had contravened environmental regulations and the edict of Lagos state. So, we wondered what environmental offences we had committed and even if that was so, there was no prior warning before a sealing order from the Office of the Governor.”
The couple, who said they acquired the property over 15 years ago, alleged that the officials later admitted to having sealed the property for a different reason.
Ronke said, “We went to their office, and that was when those arrested were released later in the evening after being subjected to a series of threats. We were surprised to be told that the reason for the seal order was not environmental, but that we needed to go and meet one Kunle Ogunbufunmi, who claimed that the property did not belong to us.
“It was at this point that we became confused because this was a property we bought 15 years ago and which we had continuously occupied since then.”
The couple subsequently petitioned the Lagos State Anti-Land Grabbing Unit under the Ministry of Justice, describing the task force’s actions as an “illegal and unlawful attempt to dispossess rightful owners of their property.”
The petition alleged collaboration between task force officials and individuals linked to the suspected land grabbers to evict them and other residents in the area.
However, when contacted, the spokesperson for the task force, Raheem Gbadeyan, confirmed the presence of task force officials on the premises of the building.
He, however, noted that it was a result of a report of encroachment that was lodged at the task force office.
He said, “There was a report of an encroachment, and to forestall a breakdown of law and order, we invited all the parties for a peaceful resolution, but they did not show up. So, we advised the complainant to seek redress in court. And I think the complainants have returned to their property.”
