…Leaving five injured, vehicle destroyed
Juliana Francis
The present Baale of Isheri Oke, Mr. Albert Bankole, has narrated in detail how the refusal of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Isheri Oke Police Station to act, led to a bloody clash that left five people injured.
Bankole explained that when he received an intelligence report that there was going to be an attack in the community, he had quickly sent his chiefs to alert the DPO, but policemen on duty said the DPO was not around.
On the second day, Bankole said he sent his Chiefs to alert the DPO, hoping the police would nip the unrest in the bud before it actually takes place, but the policemen this time around told the Chiefs that the DPO was sleeping.
Soon, the communities began to boil, with residents sporting injuries, commercial activities grounding down, and vehicles and property destroyed.
At least five persons were injured in Isheri Oke, in Kosefe Local Government Area of Lagos State, as Bankole’s faction and Isheri Olofin Royal family engaged in a bloody fight over land and traditional stool.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the Isheri Olofin Royal family came into Isheri Oke to implement a court order in their favour and to also take over the Baale stool.
It was in the process youths from Bankole’s family allegedly attacked the Isheri Olofin Royal family and the court sheriff who came to implement the court order.
The youths went on the rampage and attacked the Isheri Olofin family, leading to five persons being injured.
Vehicles parked on the street and in the compound of one of the families of Isheri Olofin were destroyed and the windows of a building were shattered by the hoodlums who were armed to the teeth.
The Secretary of Isheri Olofin Royal family, Prince Akintunde Kudoro, said that after the right of occupancy of Isheri Olofin Royal family of the parcel of land and being section five in the composite survey plan of No. ADAK/01/LA/2006 and was upheld by the Court of Appeal from suit No. ID/1664/99 at the Ikeja Division of the High Court of Lagos State.
Kudoro said that after receiving the court judgement, “We wrote to the residents of Isheri Oke to inform them and market women too were notified.
“When we eventually decided to come to implement the order, some youths of Isheri Oke attacked us and the sheriff of the High Court who came to execute the order was also attacked.
“We were not fighting them. We were going around when we suddenly saw over 200 thugs led by one Saheed and they attacked us in the Palace of Isheri Olofin Royal family and destroyed many things and vehicles in the compound.
He recounted that the hoodlums were shooting sporadically, but he was thankful that nobody was killed.
He added: “But five people were seriously injured. Some of our family members in the Palace were attacked with cutlasses and went away with people’s phones and other valuables. We are law-abiding citizens, so we didn’t want to take the law into our hands but we want to implement the order in a peaceful and orderly way.”
He added that the present Baale of Isheri Oke is not part of their family but came from Egbado in Ogun State through one Taiwo Olowo the then Baale of Isheri Oke, some of those who came from Egbado are in Iju Ishaga.
His words: “The present Baale never related with us. When they brought them, they were camped in Anglican Church in Isheri Oke before they started farming and then built their own houses and now, they are now claiming ownership of our ancestral land and the Baale stool.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Isheri Police Station were at the scene to give information about the clash, stating that some people were arrested.
The present Baale of Isheri Oke, Mr. Albert Bankole said the Isheri Olofin Royal family is not part of their family as they are two different people and communities.
He explained that on Monday night, he received intelligence that some people were planning to cause a breach of peace in the community.
He immediately sent some of his Chiefs to meet with the Isheri Oke DPO, but his men said that the police chief was not around.
On Tuesday early in the morning, he sent the Chiefs back to check on the DPO, again his men said that the DPO was sleeping.
He said: “While they were waiting to see the DPO the Isheri Olofin Royal family with their thugs stormed the community, making an advance towards my Palace. Some of the youths in the community blocked and chased them back and made a bonfire. It was then the DPO came out to check what was happening.
“The Plan of the Isheri Olofin Royal family was to seal houses in the community claiming that they have a court judgement over the land, and they also wanted to chase me away from the stool. This is not the first time we are witnessing this type of issue.
“They came into the Community around 4:30 am with about five buses of hoodlums to implement the court order. Thank God nobody died. The Isheri Olofin Royal family went to two banks in Olowo Ira to serve them court order and chased staff of the o banks out.”
