The Kwara State government has eventually demolished structures on late Olusola Saraki’s land (Ile Arugbo), the political meeting point for Saraki’s family at Ilofa road, GRA, Ilorin.
Residents in the area narrated how mobile policemen in their hundreds came, tear gassed and shot sporadically to scare people away before gaining access to demolish the over forty years old structure on Thursday.
An eye witness, who identified himself as Saheed, said that they started hearing sound of gun at about 3am to scare away elderly women who were keeping vigil on the property while several cannisters of teargas were also fired to eject them from the land after which they carried out the demolition at 4 am by a bulldozer hired by the government and ended at about 5am.
BusinessDay visit to the scene observed that a motorcycle with APC inscription and a tricycle alleged to be brought by people, who carried out the demolition were damaged by the irate mob who were protesting against the demolition of the structures.
However, the state government claimed responsibility for destroying the structure on the reclaimed land.
A statement signed and released to journalists by Murtala Olanrewaju, Commissioner for Communications stated that “the Kwara State Government early today began the physical reclamation of the plot of land bordering the civil service clinic in Ilorin.
“The reclamation exercise began in the early hours of Thursday to avoid any needless confrontation. Attempts by some persons to provoke government’s agents on lawful duty were resisted by the security agents who exercised the highest level of restraint and professionalism.
*Contrary to the claim that the State Government was served court papers on the matter, we state that no court paper has been served as at the time the government took steps to preserve what lawfully belongs to the people.
“Finally, we urge the people of the state to remain calm, peaceful, an be guided only by facts of the matter and not be drawn into emotional outburst that is targeted at distracting the public from the issues at stake. While the administration is focused on restoring sanity to the state after years of barefaced impunity, we will do so within the limit of the law.”
Speaking with journalists after the demolition, Kola Shittu, the state branch of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the action of the state government, saying that the governor had taken it too far.
The PDD Chairman said: “Governor Abdulrazaq has taken it too far by demolishing the structures on Dr Olusola Saraki’s place where he used to take care of the elderly women (Ile Arugbo) every week.
“The demolition is shocking, it is unfortunate. The issue of the land was being treated as if it was a stolen land and it was not, it was allocated and there is a letter of allocation written by the government which allocated it.
“Let us even assume that it was not paid for. If this is the case, what the government should have done is to write the Saraki’s family about this and if this had been done, the Saraki’s family that I know can even donate it back to the government.
“The Late Olusola Saraki donated so many plots of land to people. He donated his land for marketers at Ago market in Ilorin when the marketers were to be relocate from the market.
“The government should look at the issue again. It should not be a vendetta thing. Government should not be run along that line. We in the PDP believe government should be about development and not vendetta, I have as chairman of the PDP, an opposition party, commended the government on its programmes I considered praise-worthy.”
Shittu, however, appealed to supporters of the party and of the late Saraki to remain calm and not give room for violence over the development, noting that there are many other places that Bukola Saraki can provide for them for the purpose the demolished structure served them.
In their reactions, Ramatalai Oganija, the state PDP women leader and the party’s youths leader in Kwara Central Senatorial District, Isa Mohammed described the demolition as an act induced by hatred and which is capable of causing disharmony and disruption of peace in the state.
They appealed to their people not to take laws into their hands.
SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin
