Land Grabbing Scandal Allegation: Saheed Ibile, Not Topaz, Is A Land Grabber – Eyin-Osa Families

The Eyin-Osa community leaders have exonerated popular real estate merchant, Murphy Adebare popularly known as Topaz from land-grabbing claims making rounds in the media.

There were reports that Murphy Adebare has been arrested for offenses related to land-grabbing, forceful takeover, and criminal trespassing.

Although the claims of arrest are untrue, one of the family representatives, Alhaji Suleiman has mentioned popular land grabbers, Alhaji Saheed Ibile, Alhaji Muraina Banjoko AKA Threeco, and the Oba Of Epe as brains behind the crisis in Eyin-Osa community and the recent media attacks against Murphy Adebare.

While speaking to journalists, Alhaji Sulaiman made it known that Ibile has been selling landed properties given to the community by the state government as a compensation following the acquisition of more than 16,000 acres owned by three communities namely Abomiti, Eyin-Osa and Yeguda.

According to him, the government compensated the communities with over 2,300 acres, with Eyin-Osa families getting 700 acres being the largest owners of the initial landed properties. However, the properties have been taken over by the Alhaji Saheed Ibile, Alhaji Muraina Banjoko (Threeco) and the Oba Of Epe.

‘’ The government acquired about 16,000 acres of land from three towns; Abomiti, Eyin Osa and Yeguda. The government relocated them and gave them properties along the express way, it was over 2,300 acres. Every family in the community has their Certificate of occupancy.’’

‘’At the end of the day, the Eyin-Osa families were not satisfied because they had the largest share of the land acquired by the government. They went to court and requested for 20% of the landed properties sometime last year. They contacted one man called Olukoya popularly known as Alhaji White and he promised to help them survey and monitor their landed properties which they obliged to.’’

‘’In the course of survey and monitoring, He brought in a land grabber, Alhaji Threeco to secure the landed properties. He deceived the families into allowing Alhaji Threeco work for them and they gave him 25 acres of the landed properties to monitor the land.’’

‘’In the process, Alhaji Threeco in conjunction with Olukoya and Oba of Epe started selling the lands of the family. Last year, Alhaji Saheed Ibile contacted the family and assured them that he will pursue Alhaji Threeco from the premises because he has sold a lot of acres from the land. The family agreed and asked him to help them send Threeco away but Immediately Ibile got the job, he connived with Threeco, Adekoya and Oba of Epe and they became a team and started selling all the landed property.’’

He explained that Saheed Ibile has been claiming to have 1,500 acres of land in the 2,300 acres given to the communities by the government. Alhaji Suleiman explained that they dragged the case to the police headquarters in Abuja with the real owners of Eyin-Osa but Saheed Ibile found a way to maneuver the case by bribing DIG Kokumo who just retired few months ago.

‘’Recently, they met with Ibile to ask him of the amount of Land he has in the 2,300 acres given to the people by the government and he said he has about 1,500 acres there. He said he bought the land but it’s a lie, an acre is sold for N10 Million there.’’

‘’The family that went to court to agitate are the original owners of the land in Eyin Osa which the government gave them 700 acres. The families didn’t sign any paper for Ibile. After then, Ibile and Oba of Epe came up with imposters and presented themselves as the owners of Eyin Osa. When we went to Abuja last year, we took the Eyin Osa families to the DIG office, they were more than 200 and they asked Ibile to bring his own people, he brought just two people to present them as Eyin Osa owners. The family members of Eyin Osa denied the two people he brought as family members and didn’t have anything to do again.’’

‘’At the end of the day, the DIG Kokumo asked all of us not to step on the land for now but in January, Ibile gave the DIG money and he was planning to retire. He collected money from Ibile and he was allowed to start working on the land. He got gun wielding criminals, thugs, snipers and land grabbers on the land. He started selling the landed properties and started intimidating them with police.’’

Speaking on the involvement of Murphy Adebare AKA Topaz in the matter, Alhaji Suleiman made it known that Topaz paid over N1 Billion to buy landed properties from the original owners of Eyin-Osa despite knowing that they don’t have access to the landed properties yet. He noted that the people of Eyin Osa are standing solidly behind him in the fight because he bought land from them legally.

‘’When Topaz came in, he did his research and looked for the original land owners of Eyin Osa to buy the land. Topaz paid over 1 billion to the families. Now, he is different from Ibile who didn’t buy land. Now that Topaz bought land from Eyin-Osa people, they said they are ready to back him up. He has all the evidence and receipts which he paid with. Now, you are saying Topaz is a land grabber, how is he a land grabber, it’s totally different.’’