A 73-year-old man, Sola Martins Ojo, has accused the Registrar of Ekiti State University, Akinwumi Olusola Arogundade, and his family members of planning to take over his three plots of land at lle-Ileri Adehun Area of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Ojo, who claimed he bought the land about 40 years ago, said he became a target of harassment, intimidation and victimisation by Arogundade and his siblings following the death of most the senior member of the family in 2014.
He said they were at his house on June 6, 2020 with armed thugs and destroyed his property.
The septuagenarian alleged that his wife and daughter were physically assaulted.
He said, “I purchased the land about 40 years ago. In 2009, this group invaded my premises with men of the state police headquarters and accused me of occupying the land illegally.
“A lawyer among them destroyed some of my survey pillars while a woman beat up my 16-year-old daughter for daring to ask questions.
“I led them to the High Chief who sold the land to me. He confirmed the sale of the property, the receipt and affidavits. Even with this, I was detained at the police station for many hours.
“At the death of this Chief in 2014, the most senior member of the family replaced him. Then, l became a target of harassment, intimidation and victimisation by the siblings.
“The lawyer, who is the Registrar of Ekiti State University, Olusola Arogundade, used the institution’s staff to spray off my crops to expand his plantain and palm tree plantations.
“On August 13, 2019, a senior immigration officer among them invaded my premises with security men armed with guns and tear gas. While one stood behind me pointing his gun at my head, others stood around threatening members of my family.
“The immigration officer threatened to return with greater force soon if I failed to surrender a part of the land.
“They were around again on June 6 with thugs armed with cutlasses. They destroyed my crops, yams, cassava and plantain. They pushed me down. That lawyer beat up my 19-year-old daughter while a state civil service director among them beat up my son to the point of exhaustion.
“My wife was also beaten until she collapsed and was rushed to the teaching hospital.”
Ojo begged Governor Kayode Fayemi and the state Commissioner of Police to rescue him from the Arogundade family.
