The Executive Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), one of the leading councils in Lagos State, in terms of veritable development, Mayor Dele Oshinowo, had denied allegations of involvement in attacks against certain law officers, in relation to the reported land dispute at Owode-Onirin Market in the council area, saying the allegations were unfounded, malicious, baseless and a figment of the imagination of detractors.

Mayor Oshinowo, who spoke exclusively with the leadership of the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), said it’s unheard of that someone would just sit down and concoct lies just to mislead the unsuspecting public.

“The report is misleading and an attempt to misinform the public, tarnish the reputation of the council, and distort facts. The report circulating in the media deliberately twists the situation, portraying those who acted unlawfully as victims while attempting to discredit the Council’s lawful intervention,” he said.

Giving a detailed account of what transpired to the best of his knowledge as the chief law officer of the council, Oshinowo noted that the market in question, which is a recognized entity, belongs to the LCDA he presides over, stressing that at no time was the council informed of any legal issues connected to the property.

“The Owode-Onirin Market is a recognized local government market, and the Agboyi-Ketu LCDA holds official title documents to the land. As the duly elected Local Government Executive Chairman, it is the responsibility of the Chairman to oversee all markets within our jurisdiction, and Owode-Onirin is no exception,” he said.

He accused a certain notorious landgrabber, one Akeem Ariori, of being the brain behind the crisis that erupted, and among him and his team. He added that on the said, Ariori had invaded the market, displacing both legitimate sellers and buyers, in what almost resulted into a stampede.

“Contrary to the misleading claims, the Council was never informed of any court judgment regarding the land until the very day that unknown individuals acting on the orders of a land grabber, Akeem Ariori, stormed the market, forcefully displacing peaceful traders, harassing and arresting them, and demolishing their shops without prior notice, consultation, or due process,” he narrated.

The chairman informed that it was the traders, who were displaced that alerted council, when they called for help, necessitating a fact finding visit to the market as it is part of the LCDA.

“The traders, who had lawfully occupied the market for years, were left in distress and called on the local council for help. From our investigations, it was discovered that the said Akeem Ariori is a well-known land grabber, who is notorious for criminal land grabbing activities in Lagos State,” he added.

The noted that their visitation to the market was not well received by Ariori and his gang were ambushed and molested with injuries inflicted on some of the council officials leading to their hospitalization.

“Upon receiving the traders’ distress calls, I, along with key council officials, visited the site to assess the situation. However, upon arrival, we were ambushed, molested, and tear-gassed by these unidentified armed men, leading to the hospitalization of several council officials. An official report was immediately filed to the Lagos State Government, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 2, and the Attorney General, in line with due process,” he said.

He vehemently denied mobilizing thugs as the fake online reports making the rounds alleged, rather revealed that the Lagos State government, in their wisdom upon recognizing the threat, deployed members of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) to restore lawful order. He further said that while the officers were carrying their duties, they accosted some people, who claimed to be policemen, but could not identify themselves, because they were on unauthorised assignment.

“Contrary to the false report, no thugs were mobilized by the Council at any point. Instead, upon recognizing the unrest, the Lagos State Government deployed officers from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), led by its Commander CSP Shola Jejeloye, to restore peace and ensure the protection of lives and property. It is worth noting that when Council officials arrived at the scene, six individuals claiming to be Mobile Police officers were present. When asked to identify themselves, they could not provide proper authorization for their presence. Four of them were subsequently arrested, while two fled the scene. The arrested individuals were taken to the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters in Ikeja, where it was confirmed that they were not on an officially assigned duty.

“If they were truly acting lawfully, why did they flee? Why couldn’t they prove their legitimacy?” Oshinowo queried.

The Executive Chairman further cautioned members of the press (not NAOSNP) to desist from being used by people, who do not mean well for the society, to carry out their own selfish agenda, noting that the development is ‘deeply unfortunate’.

“It is deeply unfortunate that some individuals, driven by selfish interests, are using the Press to spread falsehoods and manipulate public perception,” he said.

While calling for calm across the council area, and establishing that the LCDA has the rightful documentation to the property, Oshinowo, wondered how the media attempted to portray those who acted unlawfully as victims while attempting to discredit the Council’s lawful intervention.

“Agboyi-Ketu LCDA has the rightful Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for this land, and no amount of propaganda can change that. The Council was never notified of any judgment, nor were we invited for any form of discussion before the market traders were forcefully displaced and their businesses destroyed.”

Oshinowo, who is reputed to have turned around the fortunes of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA and promoted unity, security of lives and properties and peaceful co-existence since he took the reins of leadership, has won many awards and honours for his vision, leadership skills, security, youth empowerment and infrastructure development abilities.

“We remain committed to protecting the rights and interests of our people, ensuring that justice prevails, and upholding the rule of law at all times,” he concluded while urging the public to disregard the misleading reports from a section of not properly informed press.