Families Finger Ado-Odo/Ota LG Boss, Hon. Wasiu Lawal In The Demolition Of Properties In Sango, Ota Despite Court Orders

Residents of Gbagura, Ipamesan, Plaza, Leventis, Sango, Ota in the Ado-Odo/Ota local government area of Ogun state have indicted the Chairman of the council, Hon. Wasiu Adewale Lawal FCA over acts they described as ‘fragrant disobedience of subsisting court order and demolition of properties’.

Speaking with VOA News Correspondent over the weekend, representatives of the families whose properties were affected by the refuse clearing, allegedly carried out by the State Ministry of Environment with the supervision of Hon. Wasiu, said that over five houses were demolished in the act.

Engineer Saheed Ajayi, who spoke with our Correspondent, said that their land have become much coveted by past administration in the local government. He alleged that security operatives and workers accompanied by bulldozers stormed the property near Sango Bridge along the Abeokuta–Lagos Expressway on Thursday, March 12, 2026, and demolished several buildings.

According to Engineer Saheed, at least five houses belonging to different property owners, including one popularly known as Oluye, were pulled down during the exercise.

“It was on Thursday afternoon that a large number of policemen and workers arrived with bulldozers and began demolishing houses on our family land,” he said. “Before the exercise was halted, five buildings had already been destroyed.”

He explained that the land dispute had been before the court since 2019 and that a subsisting court order had directed all parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the case.

Engineer Saheed said the family quickly alerted the police, following which officers from the Sango-Ota Area Command intervened and temporarily halted the demolition. However, he alleged that those responsible later returned to the site to continue the exercise.

He further claimed that the Chairman of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Hon. Wasiu Lawal, the Councillor representing Sango-Ota, Hon. Joel Okeodebija, and another individual identified as Alhaji Alaye later appeared at the police station where the matter was being discussed and defended the demolition exercise, stating that the officials involved were acting on behalf of the Ogun State Ministry of Environment.

The family, however, insisted that the land is privately owned and was purchased in 1976 with valid documentation.

“We have all the documents to prove ownership of the land. The purported government acquisition was challenged in court in 2019 and the court ordered that nobody should tamper with the land until the case is determined,” Olayinka said.

He added that the demolitions allegedly destroyed family graves and properties belonging to residents.

In a separate interview with another resident, Mr. Akeredolu Babatola, one of the affected property owners, said his building, an uncompleted storey structure with semi-detached three-bedroom flats and additional residential units occupied by tenants, was destroyed during the exercise.

“My house, which I built over 20 years ago, was demolished. It had tenants living in it and my elderly father was present when the bulldozers came,” Babatola said, describing the incident as distressing.

The family called on the Ogun State Government and the Ministry of Environment to immediately halt further demolition activities and respect the court order pending the resolution of the legal dispute.

They also appealed to the state government to address persistent flooding in the area through proper drainage and channelisation instead of demolishing structures.

The disputed land is the subject of Suit No. HCT/273/2019 before the High Court of Ogun State sitting in Ota Judicial Division.

The claimants, representing members of the Gbagura community development association, instituted the case against the Ogun State Government, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, the Chairman of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government, and the Chairman of Sango-Ijoko Local Council Development Area.

The court had earlier granted an interim injunction restraining the defendants and their agents from demolishing, altering or tampering with properties on the disputed land pending the determination of the case.

When contacted, the Chairman of Ado-Odo/Ota local government, Alhaji Wasiu Lawal FCA denied any involvement in the demolition exercise, citing that the exercise was carried out by the state Ministry of Environment.

Hon. Lawal said the activities carried out at the site were part of environmental sanitation and flood control efforts initiated by the Ogun State Ministry of Environment.

“The work being done there does not concern the local government,” he said. “Officials from the Ministry of Environment were conducting environmental assessments to address issues such as flooding, traffic bottlenecks, roadside trading and accidents in the Sango-Ota area.”

According to him, the ministry only cleared refuse and overgrown vegetation from the site as part of a planned channelisation project ahead of the rainy season.

Hon. Lawal added that no new demolition took place last week, maintaining that any earlier demolition on the land occurred in 2018 before the case was filed in court while assuring that the area would remain untouched pending further discussions and possible legal settlement between the parties.

Howbeit, the dispute has continued to generate concern among residents as the parties await the final determination of the case by the court.