Osun: THE Kelebe-Omu Land Owners Association, has taken fresh action following the failure of Nigerian Army to file appeal against the judgement of the Osun State High Court sitting in Ile-Ife, on land in Kelebe-Omu.
The Landowners across Osogbo and Olorunda local government areas of Osun State on Thursday gathered in their numbers at Kelebe Area (part of the disputed land), Olu-Omo junction along Iragbiji Road in Osogbo to notify the public of their readiness to take authority on the land as ordered by the court, informing the occupants to get ready for the enforcement.
While addressing journalists, Chief Amodu Akanbi, the Chairman of the Kelebe-Omu land owners association and Oluponna of Osogbo disclosed that all the documents relating to the court judgment have been forwarded to the office of the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army headquarters, Abuja, noting that their action is to enforce the Warrant of Possession by the Osun State High Court since the Nigerian Army headquarters has acknowledged the court judgment.
According to him, “We are making this known publicly through the media that we have gone back to our ancestral lands.
“We have engaged surveyors who will commence measuring the land. We are fully back to our ancestral lands and we will never leave it again.”
On his part, counsel representing the Kelebe-Omu Landowners Association, U.F Mohammed said the actions of the Nigerian Army were a flagrant disobedience of the order of a court of law, adding that disobedience of court judgments is one of the challenges confronting the rule of law in Nigeria.
Muhammad noted that the rule of law will work in Nigeria when institutions and individuals occupying positions in those institutions stop abusing such privileges.
According to him; “The Kelebe-Omu land owners association are the rightful owners of the land according to the judgment of the court.
“What the Nigerian Army is doing is flagrant disobedience of the court based on brutal force because they are carrying guns. Nothing stops the Chief of Army Staff from appealing the judgment. What we have is a case of private interest,” Muhammad said.
While speaking, representative of the Ataoja of Osogbo, the Alagbaa of Osogbo land, Chief Olawale Ahmed Adeoye said with the court judgment, the people were ready to take possession of their lands.
“We want to inform people who have erected one structure or the other to relocate.
“The Nigerian Army is not more powerful than the court. The Nigerian Army misused the land and the rightful owners want to repossess it. That is why we are here today.”
On his part, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the association, Alh Hamed Loroki affirmed that all property on the said land belong to Kelebe-Omu landowners association as ordered by the court.
He added that landowners have set to take what belongs to them.
“We are here to enforce the court order on our landed property. That is why we bring professional Surveyor who will survey the land for us.
All structures on the land belong to us as of January 10 2023 while the Nigerian Army failed to appeal the judgment,” Loroki added.
The action of the land owners is coming following the judgment of the Osun State High Court sitting in Ile-Ife, mandating the Kelebe-Omu land owners association to repossess their land from the Nigerian Army.
It would be recalled that the Osun State High Court on January 10, 2023, had in a judgment delivered by Justice Ayoola, directed the Nigerian Army vacate the disputed land and pay the sum of N200,000,000 to Kelebe-Omu land owners association as damages.