RTEAN, Ex-Osun PDP Scribe At Loggerhead Over Land Ownership

Ismaeel Uthman

THERE is a brewing land dispute between the Road Transport Employers Associa on of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Iree, Boripe local government and former Secretary of the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) in the State, Chief Yinka Adeojo.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Adeojo is laying claim to the ownership of the land on which member of the RTEAN are opera ng in Iree.

Adeojo, according to the RTEAN members, have asked them to vacate the land, a development that has been genera ng controversies.

RTEAN is also laying claim to the land which is beside Iree’s Post Office, sta ng that it was given to them by the local government in 2010.

The RTEAN said it got approval to make use of the piece of land 13 years ago via a le er made available to them by one A.O Fatoye which was dated May 19, 2011 and signed on behalf of the then chairman of the local government.

According to the Iree branch Chairman of the union, Sunday Adeosun, Adeojo had once laid claim to the ownership of the land around 2011/2012, forcing the union to take legal step on the matter.

Adeosun said the union won the court case at the Ikirun High court in Suit Number: HIK/4/2012.

However, Adeojo, according to Adeosun, has again come back to lay claim to the land.

He said: “To our surprise, Adeojo in connivance with leadership of Iree Progressive Associa on (IPA) came with another claim immediately the Supreme Court of Nigeria declared Governor Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke as the authen c winner of 2022 Osun gubernatorial elec on.

“They claimed that because there was a robbery incident in Iree that affected the two commercial banks in the town in 2021, we should no longer use the place as our motor park.

“Let us even assume that we consider the reasons given as plausible, which one poses security threat between our motor park that is 11 buildings away from the commercial banks and the Oluomo Shopping Complex where there are business en es including a filling sta on, salon, a car wash, a game center, laundry?

“Will it be possible for someone who is not our member to park his vehicle at our motor park without being ques oned? The answer is ‘no’.

“We know that Governor Adeleke will not allow injus ce because some of our members are already of a considered opinion that Chief Adeojo is planning to get what the court denied him through the backdoor. We have more than 100 members and so many lives are a ached to ours for livelihood.

“We urge the governor to cau on the local government officials and others who are planning to send us packing ostensibly at the instance of those interested in the piece of land, which is even a setback”

“We are law abiding cizens, we are not par sans, we believe in the administraon of Governor Adeleke and we will con nually pray for the success of his administraon.”

Dismissing the claim of the RTEAN, Adeojo said the it was Boripe local government that requested that the union should vacate the land, stating that he as an individual did not give any direc ve.

According to Adeojo, the vaca on request was part of the condi ons for resumpon of opera ons of the two banks which were robbed last year.

He said: “I did not issue out any direc ve to the union; it was Boripe local government that sent letter to them, reques ng that they should vacate the place for economic development of the town.

“The truth is that, we stakeholders in Iree communi es met the managements of the two banks which were robbed last year. They requested that, as part of the condi ons to resume opera ons, the car wash near the banks and the motor park of the RTEAN should be relocated.

“The Iree Progressive Associa on called a meet- ing of extended stakeholders, including police, civil defence, the transport unions and others. We all agreed to make the relocaon and we signed Memorandum of Understanding.

“I don’t know why the union members are trying to blackmail me. It is a community ma er and the local government is the one that wrote them to vacate the place.”

In a statement made available to OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, the Iree Progressives Associa on warned the RTEAN members not to poli cise a community ma er, saying that their ac ons so far on the land issue amounted to deliberate falsifica on and manipula on of facts and cheap blackmail.

The IPA, in a statement signed by the President, Aare Oluwole Taiwo, and Secretary, Bayo Afolabi, Esq affirmed that the land being occupied by the union is a setback given to Adeojo by Aree in council.

The community associa on said the reloca on of the motor park was necessary to bring back the commercial banks.