Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Alleged land-grabber fails to meet bail conditions

By Gbenga Salau
24 June 2017   |   4:18 am
The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Oshodi has declared the sureties presented by suspected land grabbing kingpin, Chief Kamorudeen Lamina, alias Sir K, as unverifiable and thus unable to stand for his bail.

Sureties unverifiable
The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Oshodi has declared the sureties presented by suspected land grabbing kingpin, Chief Kamorudeen Lamina, alias Sir K, as unverifiable and thus unable to stand for his bail.

The State Government, through the Special Task Force on Land Grabbers, had on June 16, 2017 arraigned Lamina and others over alleged forceful dispossession of residents from their legitimate lands.

In his ruling, Magistrate Lateef Owolabi granted bail in the sum of N1 million and two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a landowner in Lagos, while the other must be a civil servant not below grade level 15. The sureties must have three years tax clearance and registration with Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA).

The Magistrate had also ordered the defendants to deposit N150, 000 each with the court, while they are to be remanded in Badagry Prison pending when they met their bail conditions.

But Lamina and other defendants have failed to meet the conditions of the bail.

According to the matter, Lamina and his gang were said to have been terrorising the people of Ikorodu area for many years before he was arrested on June 15, 2017.

In counts one and two, Lamina, sometime in February this year, in Mowo Kekere area of Ikorodu Local Government, took over one plot of land forcefully which was sold to one Ebere Okafor by Ifegbuwa family.

In count three, Lamina was accused of forcefully taking over and remaining in possession of 200 plots of land in Mowo Kekere belonging to Planet Properties Ltd contrary to Section 2 (2) of the same law, while in count five, the defendants were said to have fraudulently sold 60 hectares of land which had been previously sold by the rightful owner contrary to Section 8 (1) (b) of the law.

The fraudulent sale, which was allegedly carried out in January 2017, was perfected by the defendants fraudulently claiming to be the descendants of Ifegbuwa family. In count six, the defendants were accused of fraudulently selling 25 hectares of land to third parties. The matter has been adjourned to July 13.

In this article

0 Comments