Kelebe-Omu Land Dispute: Powerful institutions not obeying rule of law — Legal practitioner

Counsel representing the Kelebe-Omu land owners association, Umar Farouq Mohammed has alleged that institutions responsible for leading others to obey the rule of law are the ones breaking them.

Mohammed also claimed that disobedience of court judgments is one of the challenges confronting the rule of law in Nigeria, adding that the rule of law will work in Nigeria when institutions and individuals occupying positions in those institutions stop abusing such privileges.

Mohammed, who represents the Kelebe-Omu land owners association, made these allegations while fielding questions from journalists on Thursday when the association took possession of their lands.

DAILY POST gathered that the land was formerly in the possession of the Nigerian Army.

The action of the land owners is coming following the judgment of the Osun State High Court sitting in Ile-Ife, mandating the Kelebe-Omu land owners association to repossess their land from the Nigerian Army.

The Osun State High Court on January 10, 2023, in a judgment delivered by Justice Ayoola, directed the Nigerian Army to pay the claimants, Kelebe-Omu land owners association the sum of N200,000,000 and also for claimants to possess their lands.

DAILY POST had also reported in January that the landlords protested to the Osun State Government Secretariat and House of Assembly where the Speaker, Adewale Egbedun assured that the matter would be looked into.

Mohammed claimed that the actions of the Nigerian Army were a flagrant disobedience of the order of a court of law.

In his words, “The Kelebe-Omu land owners association are the rightful owners of the land according to the judgment of the court

“What the Nigerian Army is doing is flagrant disobedience of the court based on brutal force because they are carrying guns.

“Nothing stops the Chief of Army Staff from appealing the judgment. What we have is a case of private interest.”

On his part, Chief Amodu Akanbi, the Chairman of the Kelebe-Omu land owners association disclosed that all the documents relating to the court judgment have been forwarded to the office of the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army headquarters, Abuja.

Akanbi also said their action is to enforce the Warrant of Possession by the Osun State High Court since the Nigerian Army headquarters has acknowledged the court judgment.

In his words, “We are making this known publicly through the media that we have gone back to our ancestral lands.

“We have engaged surveyors who will commence measuring the land. We are fully back to our ancestral lands and we will never leave it again.”

A representative of the Ataoja of Osogbo, the Alagba of Osogbo land, Chief Olawale Ahmed Adeoye said with the court judgment, the people were ready to take possession of their lands.

“We want to inform people who have erected one structure or the other to relocate.

“The Nigerian Army is not more powerful than the court. The Nigerian Army misused the land and the rightful owners want to repossess it. That is why we are here today.”