Officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), on Tuesday
evening, besieged the phase two of Magodo estate in Lagos state in what appears
to be a move to demolish some houses in the highbrow estate.
Residents alleged that the police officers accompanied some
youths who appeared to be hoodlums into the estate to start marking some houses
in the area for demolition.
A resident disclosed that an inscription which reads
“ID/795/88 possession taken today 21/12/2021 by court order” has been marked on
over 300 houses in the estate.
Amid the police siege, many residents came out of the
estate’s gate to resist what they described as forceful takeover and attempt to
demolish houses in the area.
When TheCable reached out to Adekunle Ajisebutu, Lagos
police spokesperson, for comments he said he is not aware of police presence in
the estate but asked the reporter to reach out later.
The police invasion of the estate may be connected to the
lingering court case involving the state government and members of the
Shangisha Landlords Association.
Since 1982, the state government and members of the
Shangisha Landlords Association have been involved in a legal battle involving
plots of land in Magodo.
The Supreme Court, in its ruling, ordered the state
government to give members of Shangisha Landlords Association 549 plots of land
as a matter of first priority in the area.
Since the Supreme Court verdict, residents of the estate
have been facing threats of demolition of their houses.
In 2017,
residents of the estate raised the alarm over an alleged plot by 1,000 armed
men to invade the estate.
The residents’ association, had on several occasions,
complained that landlords in Magodo were being harassed for a case they were
not a party to.
RESIDENTS TRAPPED AT HOME AS ESTATE GATES LOCKED
As of the time of filing this report, residents of Magodo estate
phase two were trapped in the estate as all entry and exit points of the estate
had been locked.
Those planning to go to their place of work are currently
stranded inside the estate as there is no human and vehicular movement allowed
in and out of the estate.
A resident told TheCable that the gates of the estate were
locked by the residents’ association to avoid hoodlums and bulldozers from
entering to demolish houses.
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