THE Elegushi royal family of Ikateland, in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, has petitioned the Nigerian Army over an alleged threat to life and encroachment on its ancestral land by a senior army office.
The royal family, in a petition by its lawyer, Adepeju Omotayo, called on the Army authority to intervene and stop the attempt to use its personnel from the Army Signal, Apapa, Lagos, to unleash mayhem on its clients.
The petitioners are Chief Elegushi Ifasegun, the Opemolua of Ikateland; Elegushi Property Investment Company, and Chief John Ogunyemi, the Baale of Itedo.
The lawyer, in the petition, accused one Megba and his family members, known as the Itedo community, of acting, “irrespective of the fact that he knows that there is a judgment in favour of our client by the Lagos State High Court.
“The said army general accompanied by some of his men attacked Chief Ogunyemi at his office on Admiralty Way, Lekki, Lagos, July 16, 2022.
“The said Megba having lost in court on several occasions engaged the services of the army general to illegally use the Nigerian Army to “unleash terror, assault, harass, intimidate assault, coerce and to grab our client’s land at Itedo, in the Eti Osa LGA of Lagos State.”
The lawyer also alleged “Our clients were terrorized, oppressed, assaulted, humiliated, harassed, intimidated, their human rights abused by Nigerian soldiers as if they were at war.
“As such, they have become so disenchanted and worried that the machinery of the Nigerian Army could be deployed to terrorise Nigerian citizens for no just cause but to illegally help their cohorts wrestle land that has been adjudged to belong to our client by a court of competent jurisdiction.
“The succour we opine, our clients have, is your power to intervene and investigate this matter and determine if the purpose for which the army is established is to terrorise, harass, intimidate Nigerians and grab land for an ally.
“If this is answered in negative, we pray the Nigerian Army to bring the culprits to book so our clients can have some respite.”
vanguard