Victim, hospitalised after Friday attack on wife’s building site along Ikenne Road, family says invaders repeatedly destroyed property; Ogun police arrest four as SCID investigates.
By HeapNews
Jamiu Balogun, a landowner in Orile Sagamu, Ogun State, is recuperating in a private hospital after he says he was ambushed, shot and hacked with machetes by men he identified as palace chiefs from the Epe community during a violent land dispute.
Balogun told journalists from his hospital bed that the attack occurred on Friday, September 12, while he was supervising work on two plots of land his wife bought along Ikenne Road, where shops were being built.
“They came down with guns and other weapons. I identified Jogodo, Lisa Epe, Balogun, Councillor, and some security men among them. They suddenly attacked me, shot me in the leg, and used machetes on me. They even dragged me on the floor,” he said. “I don’t have any issue with them, I only know them because we live in the same area. My wife bought the land and we were just working on her shops when they stormed the site. They even destroyed her containers.”
Balogun said he was first taken to Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OSUTH) but left due to difficulties with care there and has since been moved to a private facility. “I want Nigerians to help me so that I won’t die from this injury,” he pleaded.
Family members who sold the land to Balogun’s wife say the violence follows a pattern of intrusion and property destruction by people from the Epe community despite boundary agreements.
“We have video evidence of their repeated destruction. Just yesterday, they shot one of our clients. We are crying out to authorities to save us because our lives are now in danger,” said Prince Abdul Fatai Anoko, representing the family that sold the property. He added that the dispute had earlier been brought before the Akarigbo of Remoland, who instructed both parties to maintain peace while he travelled, but that the Epe chiefs ignored the directive.
Chief Abdulateef Adewale Anoko described the attack as the latest in a series of attempts to seize the family’s land by force. “For weeks, we have seen thugs invading our properties, destroying valuables, and now they have attacked a land buyer. Though some of the perpetrators have been arrested, we are begging government and security agencies to follow this case through. They have been threatening us and even the victim, and we fear for our safety,” he said.
Confirming the shooting, Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer SP Omolola Odutola said four suspects have been arrested and detained while investigations continue at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). “The victim was on the land when he was shot on the leg. Four suspects have been arrested, and SCID is investigating,” she said.
The arrests follow statements by the family that several of the invaders had been recorded on video destroying structures on the disputed land and that previous incidents had prompted interim measures from traditional authorities. Family representatives implored government and security agencies to ensure the investigation is thorough and that those responsible are held to account.
As the SCID continues its probe, the sellers’ family say they remain frightened and are calling for stronger protection of the boundary and an end to what they describe as repeated, coordinated attempts to seize the property.