The families of Akin-Ole Oshiun and Ikumoworo in Magodo, Ketu, Lagos State, accused of land grabbing and excavating the Magodo wetland have denied the allegation.
According to The Punch, it was earlier reported that the residents accused the family and policemen of excavating the wetland and causing the collapse of some houses.
Following the public cry, the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako issued a stop-work order on the wetland.
A spokesperson for the Onikosi of Ikosi and representative of the two families, Fatai Gbadebo, said the destruction of structures claimed by the residents was due to the accumulation of water, which weakened the foundations.
He said, “The wetland is not a permanent or natural wetland. It is the water being used by residents in Phase II that is channelled to accumulate on that land.
“The engineers on the site came up with an idea that we should construct drainage that will collect all the water coming from Magodo Phase II and take the water to a larger canal so that the land can dry up. Nobody wanted to destroy anybody’s property.”
He said one of the structures allegedly destroyed was the fence that had already been weakened by the water at the back of the house.
“We stopped work when we discovered the fence was about to collapse. We wanted to fix the fence but the owner said he would fix it himself and send the cost of repair to us and he has sent it,” he added.
Gbadebo claimed that the two families owned the land before the government acquired it.
He said, “We have Supreme Court judgments of 1890, 1986, 1929, and 2019 that gave us ownership rights over the land. The government acquired it for overriding public interest and we did not fight them over it. What is wrong in deciding to take the remaining part of our family land?”
