The Chairman, Agege LGA of Lagos State, Ganiyu Egunjobi, has given the reasons why the council demolished a property belonging to a former deputy speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Edwards Ayo-Odugbesan, and his wife, Funmi.
The council had embarked on a demolition operation in September, inside Abiola Market situated at Ogba. During the demolition operation, Ayo-Odugbesan’ three-story building located at 47 Old Ogba Road was affected, raising eye-brow.
The Ogun ex-deputy speaker had in a recent news report, accused the Agege LG chair of unlawfully demolishing his property.
In his reaction, the Agege LG chairman during a press briefing, clarified that prior notice was served to each occupants before the demolition, claiming the council’s rightful ownership of the land as evident by the survey plan and Certificate of Occupancy (CofO), which was originally issued by the Lagos State Government.
“We wondered how the couple could have been granted consent for land that had already been awarded to the council by the same Lagos state government.
“The government cannot issue a portion of land to two different people. That’s why we want to set the record straight and ensure land ownership.
He added that the council obtained approval from the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) to demolish all structures on the land, including the portion occupied by the school.
“The property wasn’t occupied as at when the demolition was made, the school on the land was not an existing one and we gave prior notice before the building demolition.’’
Egunjobi called for an investigation by the law enforcement agency, raising doubt over the authenticity of the ex- deputy speaker document.
“We urged the state Commissioner of Police to investigate the matter, suggesting that the couple’s documents might have been obtained fraudulently,” he said.
