Parties to the Magodo residential estate, including the Lagos State government, aggrieved Shangisha Landlords Association, and the Magodo Residents Association, on Wednesday, finally reached an agreement that the over 50 police personnel that have been laying siege to the estate should vacate.
The agreement was reached at an extraordinary meeting summoned by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to find an amicable solution to the over three-decade dispute that went up to the Supreme.
At the meeting held at Banquet Hall of the Government House, Alausa, Ikeja, the Lagos State government resolved to begin the search for 549 plots of land to be given to the aggrieved Shangisha Landlords, who have been using police from Abuja to attempt enforcing a Supreme ruling in their favour since 2012.
Addressing newsmen after the meeting, Governor Sanwo-Olu, state officials, and counsels to all parties said the government would identify land within the Shangisha Estate and other areas in the state to get the 549 plots for aggrieved landlords to resolve the 38-year dispute.
“We have met with the various stakeholders that were involved in the Magodo land dispute, including officers and cabinet members of Lagos State government, officers and men from the office of inspector-general of police in Abuja and the Abuja FCT Police Command representing that office, Baba Adeyiga, and his lawyer and his son, we have a board member from Magodo Residents Association, the chairman of Magodo Residents Association and some others.
“We have their counsels representing the stakeholders, the various families. We have listened extensively to all parties and stakeholders. I am happy to inform gentlemen of the press that the issues had been well laid out, we are not in any disagreement or misconception around the fact that there is a Supreme Court judgment or a judgment that says that the Lagos State government should give 549 plots to the Shangisha Landlord Association and all of that had been taken into context. It has been resolved that the committee that the state government had set up before now should get to work immediately, meaning from Friday they will be working with the stakeholders, identifying available plots of land around Shangisha areas. The drone will be flown, surveys will be made and available plots will be identified. In the event that available plots are identified, allocations will be made timely and additional plots if we don’t have the right numbers there will also be identified at mutually agreeable locations with the other stakeholders.
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“The government will also review the list of all the allottees, 549 of them and we will ensure that the injustice that the Shangisha Landlord Association had for 38 years, will offer restitution and give them the deserved plots.
“We also agreed that there should be the de-escalation of police movement in Magodo because we have all agreed that we can resolve this issue on the table among ourselves and the process has started and so there is no need for men of the police to come from either Abuja or wherever into Magodo again and that the peace that Magodo is known for is assured,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Answering questions from newsmen, the chairman Shangisha Landlords Association Adebayo Adeyiga, said though the meeting was cordial it was the beginning of a long process for the resolution of the dispute.
“From what has happened from the last administration, I am a little bit optimistic, not overly optimistic because I know the civil servants, when we come here now we see lots of people who did not go to court coming here and they want to hide under our judgment to get something from the government. For 38 years, they did not go to court; they did not file any case anywhere in the court.
‘’Let see what the government is going to do. I have asked my lawyer to give the governor my demands. The demand is that the remaining land there be given to the Shangisha Landlord Association, the rest, they will pay on ratification, Adeyiga said.
