Tuesday, January 13, 2026 - Residents of at least 15 communities in Abeokuta on Monday protested the planned demolition of their ancestral homes by the Ogun State Government, despite an ongoing court case.
The protesters, including residents from Itori Mogan,
Ogunro, Kumapai, Jaguna, Lanki, and other communities, stormed the Governor’s
Office at Oke Mosan, carrying placards with messages such as “Leave our
ancestral home for us,” “Gov. Dapo Abiodun, please come to our aid,” “Don’t
destroy our houses; don’t let our labour be in vain,” and “Don’t demolish our
houses; we have nowhere to go.”
The government, in contravention notices sent to the
communities, accused residents of illegal development on government-acquired
land.
The communities, however, insisted that the land had been in
the possession of their forebears for over 300 years and was never under
government acquisition. Residents expressed shock at receiving the demolition
notices, given that the matter is already before the courts.
A copy of the demolition notice, obtained by our
correspondent and issued by the Ogun State Planning and Development Permit
Authority, ordered residents to remove their properties within three days or
risk demolition by the government at an unspecified cost.
The notice, dated Friday, January 9, 2026, reads in part,
“Following the Notice of Contravention, Notice to Stop Work, Notice to Quit,
and Notice of Sealing served on your property/development at the above
address/location, you are hereby ordered to remove the contravention within
three (3) days of service of this notice.
“Take notice that if the said contravention is not removed
within the time specified above, it shall be demolished, and the cost of such
demolition will be recovered from you.”
On Monday, residents—including both youths and
elders—gathered at the Governor’s Office to register their displeasure and
appeal for the intervention of the governor.
Speaking with Punch Metro during the protest, the head of
the Ogunro community, Sakirullahi Bodude, said the residents embarked on the
peaceful demonstration to call for the governor’s intervention over the planned
demolition.
Bodude said, “We are here to plead with Gov. Dapo Abiodun
not to demolish our ancestral homes, which have existed for over 300 years. We
have been served demolition notices and told to vacate our homes in preparation
for demolition.
“We are here to appeal to the governor for his intervention.
We are already in court, and it is a rule that matters before the court should
not be tampered with.
“We sincerely plead with the governor to step in and stop
this planned demolition. The communities to be affected are Itori Mogan,
Ogunro, Jaguna, and about 13 other communities.
“There is nowhere we can take our children and parents. We
have been living in these communities for years.”
Also speaking during the protest, a resident, Folasade
Omotayo, said, “We are here to plead with the governor not to allow this
planned demolition to go ahead. There is nowhere for us to go. We inherited
these communities from our forefathers; they are ancestral lands.
“You can see all our elders, whose only source of livelihood
is the farming they do in these areas. The frequent harassment and marking of
our houses for demolition has been quite disturbing and demoralising.
“We have always been living in fear and uncertainty,
constantly apprehensive that the bulldozer could arrive at any time. We are
here to beg the governor to leave these communities for us because we have
nowhere else to go.”
Speaking with journalists at a briefing held earlier on
Saturday, the Baale of Itori Mogan, Oludare Salako, said residents are deeply
unhappy with those attempting to turn them into refugees within their own
ancestral homes.
Salako lamented that the previous administration demolished
their houses within the Abeokuta metropolis, and after being forced to relocate
to their village, the current government is also planning to demolish their
homes.
He said, “We are sincerely begging for Gov. Dapo Abiodun’s
intervention because this is a village belonging to our forefathers for over
300 years. It is a place left behind for us by our forebears, but the
government is threatening to send us away.
“We received the demolition notice on Friday, January 9,
2026, and have been given three days to leave. We urge Gov. Abiodun to have
mercy on us and not allow us to become refugees or internally displaced persons
within our own state.”
Addressing the protesters, the Commissioner for Urban and
Physical Planning, Tunji Odunlami, said the state government would carefully
consider their requests.
Odunlami assured that the government would treat their
concerns with compassion and that there would be a fair resolution to all the
matters raised.
“I want to assure them that this government is treating
their concerns with compassion. We are confident there will be a good
resolution to all the matters they have raised.
“Definitely, the law is meant to be obeyed. In Ogun State,
anyone who intends to build must first obtain the necessary permit.
“If you go against the law, the regulations will take their
course. As I have said, this is a very magnanimous government. We look at each
case on its own merit and then decide what action to take,” he said.
Odunlami, however, added that no development should be
carried out in the state without obtaining the required permit, noting that
building without approval—especially on government-acquired land—remains a
serious violation.
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