The brutal arrest of the head of the family that is the custodian of the traditional rites for all Oba elects and traditional chiefs in Ikorodu, Alhaji (Chief) Nosirudeen Adeyinka Lawal Akolemobasi, by some policemen over a vast land mass, measuring over one hundred and fifty (150) acres located along Kasolori village, Itamaga, Obafemi Awolowo road Agbele axis on November 18, 2017 has pitched the Sanmobu Royal family and other allied families against the Regun Royal family made up of Chief Kameel Adisa Dada and four other families now embattled in a serious court action between both families in Ikorodu.
The victim of the Police brutality, Alhaji Nasirudeen Adeyinka Lawal, Otun Baba Adinni of Oriwu Central Mosque, Ikorodu and Nigeria President of Textile Workers Union and currently head of the custodian family for traditional rites for installation of Oba elects and Chiefs in Ikorodu is still battling with injuries allegedly sustained in the head of some policemen reportedly acting on a petition written by Regun family, who came on that eventful Saturday as Chief Lawal was going to mosque in the wee hours and forcefully took him away.
The victim alleged that he was brutalized and treated like a common criminal by the policemen on a civil matter involving land ownership by members of the same lagoon family.
These invading policemen as Chief Lawal described them and who did not come with any warrant of arrest allegedly forced him to enter a Danfo bus painted in Lagos State colours which they came with and when the victim resisted the arrest because he thought they were kidnappers or assassin or robbers, the men in plain clothes resorted to violence which prompted the traditional Chief to shout for help.
When his family members responded to the distress call, the police men fired gun into the air to scare away the family members and chased even the first son of the victim to the house.
Chief Lawal later accepted to follow the policemen after they had identified themselves as real policemen.
According to him, they firstly drove him to Igbogbo Road Police Station before heading towards Ketu under the pretense that they were taken him to Abuja. Instead, they drove towards the Third Mainland Bridge and ended up at Adeniji Adele Police station entering one attached building.
As the policemen, numbering about six were about to change their dresses to official uniform they asked if Chief Lawal had phones on him. The man denied having any phone. Unknown to then, he hid his phone in his paints.
As they went to re-dress, the arrested Chief place a distress call to his family who immediately contacted higher police authorities. Not long, a squad of Superior policemen arrived the Adele station where they soon found out that Chief Lawal was arrested and wounded all over his body because of a petition allegedly signed by Chief Kameel Dada and his cohorts who described him as a criminal.
The victim was thereafter released and taken to the Island General Hospital for treatment while his family immediately took the matter to court vowing that they will not accept any out of court settlement on this matter since their brother from Regun family had gone violent, brutal and wicked over a common property challenging to all of them.
They consequently filed a suit in which the Samolu family and other allied families are the plaintiffs while the Regun family comprising, Chief Kameel Adisa Dada Keyolu, Sarafa Keyolu Dada, Hon. Gbenga Oshin are now the defendants.
Chief Lawal who spoke with Oriwu Sun at his Kokoro Abu resident in Ikorodu where he was attacked told our reporters that HRM Oba Kabir Shotobi is aware of the land mater even before this latest incident of this attack and arrest and had supported his arm side of the family on the land dispute.
Our reporter visited his residence for the interview, he was still undergoing treatments at home over the serious injuries he sustained in the brutal arrest. He told our reporters that he spent two (2) days in hospital before he came back home to continue his treatment.
On what led to the controversy over the land, Chief Lawal stated that the land, which was acquired by the Federal Government in 1916, is owned by families namely Regun family, Aro Ilero Efolu Aige family, Ajisebiaramecca family and Sanmolu family.
He explained that when the land was freed from federal government acquisition, it was only Chief Dada that was privileged to know about it and as a result he and his family (Regun family) want to the land and started operating on own portion.
Chief Lawal said when his family (Sanmolu) learnt that the land is free from government acquisition and handed back to the families that owns it, he and some members of his family met with Chief Kameel to inform him that they want to take possession of their own portion of the land.
According to him, after several meetings, Chief Kameel Dada agreed to their request but demands for compensation for the expenses he incurred in retrieving important documents and for litigation and his family agreed to compensate him with five acres of land which rejected and allegedly demanded for fifty percent of their own portion of the land.
Chief Lawal alleged that due to his family’s refusal to agree to Chief Kameel Dada’s demand, he had severally led policemen, land grabbers and notorious thugs to arrest and attack members of his family on the land despite that they have gotten letter of free from acquisition and permission to operate on the land from the Lagos state government.
He particularly accused Chief Dada and his thugs of destroying a portion of the land, which was carved out and fenced by Sanmolu family where traditional rites are being performed for Oba and traditional chief elects in Ikorodu during one of the attacks.
Chief Lawal stated that despite Chief Dada’s hostility and criminal attacks on his family members they have restrained from taking laws into their hands, instead they write a petition to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) at Onikan, Lagos over the issue but Chief Kameel Dada and his cohorts refused to honour the invitation when the two parties were invited for questioning.
He added that they had also been invited to several police stations in Ikorodu division but while his family were able to provide all the necessary document demanded by the police, Chief Kameel Dada and his cohorts failed to provide any of the document.
Chief Nosirudeen Lawal claimed that his brutal arrest was a play by Chief Kameel Dada and his family to get rid of him since they have identified him as the main person preventing them from taking over the land.
He, however, sworn that he and his family would do everything within the arbiter of law to restrain Chief Kameel Dada and his family from taking over the sovereignty of their land.