“For how long will the activities of land grabbers continue to grow? They are permeating every section of the country. The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari and the Oyo State governor, Mr Seyi Makinde should come in. By extension, traditional rulers like the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi are also appealed to. The president has promised Nigerians that he would stop any form of anti-corruption in the country. We can’t sit down in Ibadan, the pacesetter city, and somebody will say he wants to throw away the judgment of the Court. It is against the Constitution.”
These were the words of the leader of the One Love Family, Satguru Maharaj Ji while speaking on a landed property located at the Satguru Maharaj Ji Village, opposite Odo Ona Kekere on Ibadan/Lagos Expressway which he claimed that some people are encroaching upon.
It was observed that some portions of the said land has been cleared by those he alleged to be encroachers trying to grab his land illegally.
Maharaj Ji, who refers to himself as ‘The Living Perfect Master said it was high time the government and relevant authorities, especially the judiciary and the police fought the activities of the land grabbers which, he lamented, are rampant in many parts of the country nowadays.
“I am talking in respect of the landed property belonging to One Love Family and Satguru Maharaj Ji here on Lagos/Ibadan Expressway in Ibadan. I bought the land from the Alaadorin family. The family had been here since 1800. We got judgments for it twice, one in 1980 and another in 2016. And we were preparing to start doing something there before we found out that people were trespassing on it.
”With the development, we wrote to the Tollgate Police for enforcement by it was taking time for them to act so we had to petition the encroachers through the office of the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) of Police in Osogbo Zone 11. Still, we found out that despite all the warnings, they didn’t relent. And then, when we protested, at times, they arrested them. As I am talking, they are threatening my lawyer’s life. But, being the living perfect master, I am groomed to be here, come what may happen.,” he said, adding that four of his ‘disciples’ were injured in a duel on the said land and that the thugs who invaded the land were aided by the police.
Maharaj Ji, who said he believes in the rule of law and justice charged the authorities concerned to act on the matter before it got out of hand. “From these two papers I am holding, the letter to the Tollgate Police is here and the second letter to the Zone 11 Police, Osogbo, Osun State asking the police to come in and enforce the court judgment. The next thing we see is that they put up a structure and we cannot keep quiet. Before it is too late, we are calling on the Federal Government, the state government and, especially, the Inspector General of Police to note that his office is being used for corrupt assignment. He should step in and make sure that they drive those people away. We don’t want injustice.”
Maharaj Ji maintained that the action oi the land grabbers are not checked, there was no future for the country as the cases of land grabbing are at an alarming rate, adding that the police should do what is right as some of their operatives are being used by land grabbers to perpetuate their bad acts.
“They destroyed our corn and cassava planted by One Love Family on the land. We saw it, they were carrying them away. We are not worried because we believe in the rule of law, justice. The Court has decided and lets the judgment operate. We believe because they made laws giving the death penalty to land grabbers in Lagos, they have now jumped to this side. And I am now going to stand as a leading vanguard to make sure that all the land grabbers are caught, sentenced and jailed so as to stop the vice and put a stop to land grabbing not only in Oyo State but also in Nigeria and the whole of Africa,” Maharaj Ji stated.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer for Oyo Command, SP Gbenga Fadeyi said the command was not aware of any petition form the spiritual organisation, with the explanation that many petitions are usually received by the command.
