Land grabbers have vanished from our Communities- Ogun Monarch

Barely five months after the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, signed a bill into law which prescribes 25 years’ imprisonment or death sentence for anyone found guilty of land grabbing, the essence for which the law was instituted, has already started yielding fruits.

With the new law, land grabbers at Kooko Ebiye, a suburb of Atan in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Ogun State have started running away, leaving all the land available. to the original land owners.

His Royal Highness Oluwasegun Joel Fashina, Onikoko of Kooko Ebiye Olufemiloye Kooko Dotun who disclosed this recently in an interview, said that the community can now sleep with two eyes closed which was the reverse before now.

According to the the traditional ruler, his community – Kooko Ebiye will remain grateful to Governor Amosun for the land grabbing bill which he passed into law on October, last year.

The Oba said that the law which criminalizes land grabbing or forceful takeover of landed property in the state is already helping the community as the state would not be a comfort zone for criminals any longer.

He said that the land grabbers had already taken over their land but now the law has been made, they have vanished.

“Kooko Ebiye people are grateful to Governor Amosun for the bill that they just passed into law recently about land grabbing, Armed robbery, Kidnapping. God will give him long life because that law will help a lot to our community here. My people are praying for him and am sure God will hear the prayers”, Oba Fashina said.

Emphasising that Kooko Ebiye people are law abiding citizens, the community leader urged the Ogun State Government to make government presence felt in the community, adding that “when there are good things from government, the community tends to pay their taxes regularly so as to return to the government.”

Appreciating the Governor for bringing back the community’s kingship stool to limelight after 8 years, Oba Fashina who said Amosun cannot be forgotten easily pleaded “we are pleading for the governor to give us good roads from Atan to Ifo, through Coker Road. We want him to make it motorable.

We also want to a situation whereby the governor can give us a higher institution in Ado Odo Ota and situate it at Kooko Ebiye. We will find land to accommodate them”.

The Oba also called on the government to look into the abandoned Flour Mills company located in the community, adding that revival of the manufacturering firm, will create more jobs and boost economic growth in the community.

“It was not in my time that the Flour Mills was closed. It was during my father’s era. I was in service then and I cannot say much about it. That is why we are bringing it up so that we can know why it was closed and then follow it up accordingly”, the monarch informed.

Advising the indegenes and residents in the area, Oba Fashina said “indegenes should come back home and put more efforts in building Kooko Ebiye community. We should not hate ourselves but it is important that we develop love. The youths should equally join hands and come together to build the community.