Suspected land grabber kill Police officer, two others in Lagos

The Police have arrested four suspected land grabbers and cultists in connection with the mayhem that occurred in Gberigbe town in Ikorodu area of Lagos.

The arrest of the suspected land grabbers and cultists followed the killing of three persons, including a Police Officer, deployed to maintain peace and prevent forceful takeover of lands in the troubled community.

Secretary to the Orelade/Ladera Royal Family of Gberigbe land Olayiwola Akanmu told The Nation that a combined force of land grabbers and cultists started unleashing terror on the community after the withdrawal in June of some policemen, who had been keeping watch following a signal from Abuja.

According to him, trouble started in Gberigbe on May 20 when some suspected land-grabbers and cultists, who have been terrorising the community, clashed with some soldiers driving through the community.

He said that the cultists, thinking the soldiers came for them, attacked and severely injured them.

He said the soldiers reinforced and fought the cultists out of the community as a result of which Mobile Policemen were drafted to the Gberigbe community to keep peace.

Akanmu said the development opened another floodgate for robbers who dispossessed people in the night, thereby creating tension in the area since June.

He said the police arrested 15 suspected robbers who are on trial in the courts.

He said the presence of Mobile Police who took over security of the town forced the land grabbers and cultists to relocate temporarily out of the community.

Akanmu said the Mobile Policemen were forced to vacate Gberigbe on Friday, August 20 following series of petitions filed against them at the Police Headquarters in Abuja by persons suspected to be sponsors of the land grabbers and cultists.