The Youth Forum and concerned indigenes of Ajiran land in Lagos State have accused Oba Tijani Akinloye and his associates of recruiting mercenaries to blackmail the forum for daring to challenge their alleged fraudulent activities on issues bordering on land matters in the area.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary of Ojomu Youth Forum and the Concerned Indigenes of Ajiran land in Lagos, Mr. Wasiu Yekini.
Yekini said in the statement that Tajudeen Ahmed and other members of the youth forum are not land grabbers, but that Oba Akinloye and Alhaji Yekini Bakare are the ones causing trouble in the area.
“It is Oba Akinloye and Alhaji Yekini Bakare that are land grabbers, not Tajudeen Ahmed, members of the Ojomu Youth Forum or the teeming members of the Ojomu Family, whose patrimony the greedy duo of Oba Akinloye and Alhaji Yekini Bakare have attempted to transfer to their own biological children.
“There are sacred facts to show that the traditional ruler has an incurable propensity at expropriating family lands for his selfish interests and only gaslighting the public to deflect attention away from his shameful conduct. His real intention is to convert communal land to personal property,” he said.
According to the statement, in several letters written to the Governor and other governmental agencies, Ojomu Community, otherwise referred to as Ajiran Land in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos, has consistently frowned at the subterranean attempt by the traditional ruler and his ally to change legal representatives for the purposes of the Deeds of Assignment of portions of land forming part of our communal Land (Ojomu Chieftaincy Family Land).
Yekini explained further that the two lawyers recommended by the traditional ruler were members of his immediate family and that of his ally, Alhaji Yekeni Bakare.
“The Kabiyesi has attempted to change the lawyers appointed by the Family to his son, Mr. Jide Akinloye of Akinloye and Associates and Mrs Lateefat Hakeem-Bakare of Rosewood Legal, the daughter-in-law of his ally, Alh. Yekini Bakare.
“The community made it clear to the Oba that act of unilaterally removing the family lawyer and replacing them with his son and the daughter-in-law of his co-conspirator, Alhaji Bakare is ‘unfair, immoral and illegal’. Sensing it as a plot to deny them of their common patrimony, the community threatened to approach the court if the decision was not reversed,” the statement read.
The Forum maintained that the monarch has made several allegations against the indigenes of Ajiran Community and Ojomu family to the police.
“In each occasion, he and his ally chickened out when it was time to present evidence in support of their allegations.
“In the face of the above hard and irrefutable facts, it is vacuous for any paid agent to adorn the traditional ruler in roses and question the community’s right to defend their common patrimony and heritage.
“The Youth Forum led by Tajudeen Ahmed has the mandate of the community to raise questions regarding the greed and blatant stealing of collective patrimony that the Oba and his ally have engaged in,” the statement added.
The forum described publication of stories on the community in the media as lies, saying that there is no iota of truth in it.