Popular Land-Grabber and Ogun Monarch, Oba Kazeem Salami Defies Lagos Laws, Caught in Land-Grabbing Mess

It appears lawlessness has finally pervaded the cause of justice in Lagos State, despite Governor Babajide SanwoOlu-led government’s efforts to ensure and maintain law and order in the State.

This is coming as a Popular Land-Grabber in the Lekki Area of the State, Kazeem Adeshina Salami, popularly known as “All-Rounder” has continued to violate and defy the State Government’s Laws on Property Protection and Land-Grabbing, over a 4. 872 Hectares of land situated along Lagos-Epe Expressway at Ajiwe / Alasia Village, Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Salami, who is now the Oba of Osobia of Makun Omi, Ijebu-Waterside Local Council Development Area, in Ogun State, has continued to lay claims to the said property, which the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian Police have had cause to investigate and establish belongs to a company named Cosmopolitan Properties Limited.

We gathered that Oba Kazeem Salami, aka All-Rounder had violently and illegally entered the land without any form of authorisation from the original owners and began to sell portions of the land to unsuspecting public.

Cosmopolitan Properties had petitioned the Attorney-General of the State on the encroachment on its land by the monarch as well as threat to the life of its agent, Stanley Oripelaiye and other workers on the site.

After investigating the allegations, the Coordinator of Lagos State Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers, Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Owolabi Arole, in a letter dated 12th March 2020 to the former Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, had affirmed that the Petitioner’s title to the land was derived pursuant to the direction of the former Chief Judge of Lagos State, Ligali Ayorinde on November 30, 1993.

The letter also stated: “That evidence of the sale is represented by a Certificate of Purchase of Land dated 30th November, 1993.

“There is also a report from the Office of the Lagos State Surveyor-General confirming that the land acquired by the petitioner falls within the portion sold by the Order of the High Court of Lagos State to Cosmopolitan Properties Ltd.

“The petitioner also submitted a copy of the Survey Plan No. LS/D/LA 444, which highlights the section allotted to the Petitioner that was clearly identified in another individual survey plan dated 22nd March, 1994 showing the area of 4.872 Hectares.

“The acquisition of the land by the Lagos State Government has put paid to any form of interest by any party as the Lagos State Government have paid compensation to the customary owners and the there is no basis to challenge parties who have derived title from the Government,” the statement noted.

The Office of the Attorney General also categorically stated in the letter that it was evident that the petitioner is the person entitled to the said land measuring 4.872 Hectares.

It also urged the Police to provide security assistance to the petitioner so that it would be able to enjoy peaceful and quiet possession of the land.

“In spite of the above, the respondents (Kazeem Salami and cohorts – Abdulsalam Sulaimon, Babatunde Tajudeen Falana) have continued to act audaciously and prevented the petitioners from enjoying peaceful possession of his land.”

The Office further informed that the respondents actions are in breach of the provision of Section 4 of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law 2016.

“In line with this and the directive of the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Lagos State, we hereby solicit your assistance for the protection of the petitioner.

“We also seek your indulgence pursuant to Section 12 of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law 2016 in the arrest of any miscreants, intruders or illegal encroaches that may cause any scuffle in the aftermath of disturbing the peaceful possession of the Petitioners for prosecution at the Special Offences Court,” said the Office of the Attorney General,” the letter stated.

The Nigeria Police had, conducted its investigation following a petition against Stanley Oripelaiye and Dr Ken Uwaifo by “All Rounder” and his cohorts – Abdulsalam Sulaimon and Babatunde Tajudeen to the Inspector General of Police.

In its Investigation report dated 3rd October 2017, the Police had established:

“1. That Abdulsalam Sulaimon and Babatunde Tajudeen are the petitioners representing the family of Fatimot Sosan Ope of Odo Onikin Village, Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State against Stanley Oripelaiye and Dr. Ken Uwaifo of Cosmopolitan Properties Limited concerning the demolition of structures on the expanse of land that was formerly the property of Happy Land / Happy World Tourist City project site at Alasia)Ajiwe Village Ajah Lagos State;

2. That the Lagos gazette No. 43, Vol 26 of 21 October, 1993 revoked the Certificate of Occupancy earlier issued to favour Happy Land / Happy World Tourist City Project site;

3. The portions of land was sold through auction to Cosmopolitan Properties Limited with Certificate of Purchase dated 30th November, 1993 issued by Honorable Justice Ligali Ayorinde;

4. That Lagos State Government via letter No. LU/GC/18398/Assign/28 of 27th November, 1995 approved the assignment of Section 13, 28, 43, 58 and 73, Zone 31 of portions of the land Cosmopolitan Properties Limited;

5. That Dr. Ken Uwaifo is the Chief Executive Officer of Cosmopolitan Properties Limited, who gave a power of attorney to Stanley Oripelaiye as an agent representing Cosmopolitan Properties Ltd on the land issue that formed the crux of this investigation;

6. That the petition against Stanley Oripelaiye and Dr Ken Uwaifo bothers on complaints against Police Action in a case of malicious damage to properties on the expanse of land measuring 4.872 Hectares at Alasia Ajiwe Village, Ajah Lagos;

7. That the petition was a fall out of a petition of malicious damage that was reported at the SCIID, Yaba, Lagos by Stanley Oripelaiye against the Petitioners in this investigation, Abdulsalam Sulaimon, Babatunde Tajudeen and some other members of the family of Fatimot Sosan Ope of Odo Onikin Village, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State;

8. That while the Petitioners are laying claim on the expanse of lands at Alasia Ajiwe area Ajah Lagos, they could not support their claim with any documents whatsoever;

9. Stanley Oripelaiye and Dr Ken Uwaifo however presented a copy of Lagos State Government letter No. LU/GC/18398/Assign/28 of 27th November, 1995 that approved the assignment of Section 13, 28, 43, 58 and 73 Zone 31 of the land at Alasia Ajiwe Village portion of former Happy Land / Happy World Site by the military administrator of Lagos State to Cosmopolitan Properties Limited;

10. The Survey Plan No. LS/D/LA 444 which highlighted the sections allotted to Cosmopolitan Properties Limited that was clearly identified in another individual survey plan dated 22nd March, 1994 showing the property covering an Area of 4.872 Hectares was also presented by the Cosmopolitan Properties Limited;

11. That in an efforts to secure its land from encroachment by the ubiquitous land grabbers the Cosmopolitan Properties Limited made a memorandum of understanding, MOU, dated 2004 with which it conditionally gave two Acres, approximately 8,09372 square meters designated by Beacon Nos PAV130 and PAV1131 to the petitioners family represented by one Chief F.A. Lawal Olumegbon and Alhaji Asraf Akinyemi;

12. That contrary to the conditions of the MOU, the petitioners’ family still went ahead and sold some portions of the Cosmopolitan Properties Limited land to unsuspecting buyers who built various forms of structures on the land;

13. That Cosmopolitan Properties Limited on June, 39th 2015 wrote a petition to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Alausa, Ikeja in which it complained about the existence of illegal structures on its expanse of land at Alasia Ajiwe Village, Ajah Lagos State and requested their removal by the Ministry;

14. That consequently upon the request of Cosmopolitan Properties Limited, the Ministry of Physical and Urban Planning Development visited the site, served contraction notices, quit notices and demolition notices, to the owners and occupants of illegal and unapproved structure on the petitioners land before the illegal structures were demolished by the Ministry on 26th August, 2016;

15. That rather than taking up the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development for the demolition of the illegal structures on the land of Cosmopolitan Properties Limited, the family of Fatimot Sosan Ope of Odo Onikin through its lawyer, Akanbi Saka Abdulkadir petitioned the Inspector General of Police, alleging that the demolition was illegal and the handiwork of Stanley Oripelaiye and Dr Ken Uwaifo;

16. That after the demolition of the illegal structures by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Cosmopolitan Properties Limited began to erect perimeter fence and gate on the land but it’s efforts were frustrated by the Fatimot Sosan Ope of Odo Onikin family supported by Kazeem Salami aka All-Rounder who damage the fenced walls, gates and materials that were used in making them;

17. That the cost of damage perpetrated by Fatimot Sosan family was valued at One Million, Nine Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Four Hundred Naira (N1,975,400.00);

18. That the personnel from the Office of the Surveyor General of Lagos State on the 17th January, 2017 visited and charted the land in the presence of the parties and the investigating team with the only Survey Plan submitted by Cosmopolitan Properties Limited as the Fatimot Sosan family did not avail investigations with any plan that covers the land in question;

19. That a reply letter from the Surveyor General of Lagos State dated 8/5/2017 confirmed that the Survey Plan No. AKN/LA/099D/94 with the title: COSMOPOLITAN PROPERTIES LTD is in the record of the Office of the State Surveyor General, it further stated that data acquired independently from the site having been processed and analysed shows that the positional accuracy of the said Survey Plan is within permissible limits and represents the subject site both in geometry and dimensions;

It concluded that the subject site was found to be within the portion of Happy Land/ Happy World plots 13, 28, 43, 58 and 73 sold by the order of the Court to Cosmopolitan Properties Limited;

20. That the petitioners and the family of Fatimot Sosan Ope of Odo Onikin Village Ajah, Lagos State do not have any documents whatsoever to lay claim on the land that Dr Ken Uwaifo bought from the Lagos State High Court through an auction on 5th November 1993.

21. That the family of Fatimot Sosan Ope of Odo Onikin Village has not only been conducting themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace by forcibly entering and forcibly taking malicious damage to the properties of Cosmopolitan Properties Limited.”

In conclusion, police however recommended that the petition of conspiracy, compromised investigation and malicious damage by Babatunde Tajudeen Falana, Kazeem Salami, Abdulsalam Sulaimon through their family lawyer Akanbi Saka Abdulkadir was unsubstantiated, diversionary and an attempt to use the Police to continue their unlawful occupation of Landgrabbing and illegal sale of landed property.

The investigation also established that Stanley Oripelaiye and Dr Ken Uwaifo are not responsible for the demolition of the illegal structures on the petitioned land.

It shows: “The demolition was not carried out as a result of any claim of ownership of the land but as a result of the owners of the demolished building failure to have necessary building approvals and permits for the construction on the land.

“The petitioners rather than petitioning the Inspector General of Police, should have legally taken the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development if they felt the demolition was was illegal.

“In order to stop the unending lawlessness of the petitioners and their illegal and unauthorized sale of the petitioned land to unsuspecting citizens who are made to lose large sums of money the petitioners should be charged to Court for criminal conspiracy, wilful damage, giving false information, conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, forcible entry and forcible possession contrary to section 409,348,96,166 (D), 52 and 53 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.

“The newly promulgated law against the activities of land grabbers by Lagos State can also be involved against the illegal activities of the petitioners and their cohorts,” the investigation report concluded.

The petitioners – Alhaji Kazeem Salami, Abdulsalam Sulaimon and Babatunde Tajuy Falana – had initially been arraigned and charged before a Magistrate Court of Lagos State, sitting in Igbosere, with No. C/11/2017 in a three-count charge that borders around i., conspiracy to commit felony to wit; illegal occupation of property and malicious damage and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011; Ii., Illegal occupation of a landed property, property of Cosmopolitan Properties Limited, after chasing the lawful occupant’s servants away and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 4 and punishable under Section 5 of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law, 2016; iii., malicious damage of the perimeter fence and gate of Cosmopolitan Properties Limited valued at One Million, nine hundred and seventy five thousand, four hundred naira only (N1,975,400) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 340 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

They were later granted bail in the sum of 200,000-naira each with two sureties that were gainfully employed and residents in Lagos with three years tax affidavits and verified addresses before the Covid-19 crisis.

Nigeriacheck.com.ng gathered that the trio technically boycotted the Court after been granted bail until a Warrant of Arrest was issued to all Police Officers and the Deputy Sheriff of the Court for their arrest.

Appearing in the matter on Monday, after the Covid-19 pandemic ended, the defendants were charged with a fresh three-count bordering on; i., forcefully and with violence enter into property situated at Alasia / Ajiwe, Eti-Osa, Lagos belonging to Cosmopolitan Properties Limited and thereby committed the offence of entry by violence contrary to section 3 of the property and protection law of Lagos State 2016; ii., Illegally occupy property situated at Alasia/ Ajiwe, Eti-Osa, Lagos belonging to Cosmopolitan Properties Limited and thereby committed the offence of illegal occupation of property contrary to section 4 of Property and Protection Laws of Lagos State 2016; iii., Unlawfully and without authority sell property situated at Alasia / Ajiwe Eti-Osa Lagos State belonging to Cosmopolitan Properties Limited and thereby committed the offence of Sale of Property without authority contrary to section 8 of the Property and Protection Laws of Lagos State 2016.

The case has been adjourned until July 17, 2022 for continuation of hearing before Magistrate O.O.A Fowowe-Erusiafe.

However, Nigeriacheck.com.ng learnt that in spite of the ongoing Court process, Oba Kazeem Salami’s cohorts are now back on the said land, selling and allocating it to some unsuspecting members of the public.


https://nigeriacheck.com.ng/2022/06/08/popular-land-grabber-and-ogun-monarch-oba-kazeem-salami-defies-lagos-laws-caught-in-land-grabbing-mess/