Glorious community Landlords stages protest accuses Edemo family of locking their houses with chains and padlocks

By the Editor

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Residents of Glorious  community Iyana Emirin in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital on Wednesday  protested the locking of their various houses by the Edemo family despite the heavy downpour on Tuesday.

The community landlords and House owners also  sent  "Save Our Soul" (SOS) message to  governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji over the threat of the Edemo family to forcefully  demolish the over 100 houses in the community.

The affected residents  trooped out in their large numbers to protest the invasion of the community by members of the Aduloju Edemo family who went on rampage by padlocking  houses, shops and uncompleted buildings also accused  men of the Rapid Response Squad who aided the  forceful lockdown of their residence.

They claimed the invaders came when most of the people have gone to work leaving behind children and eldery people who were initially scared thinking the community was under attack by  kidnappers.

The residents who carried placards with words written  on them converged at the entrance of the community chanting solidarity songs and called on the state governor, and other concerned authorities to come to their rescue.

Some of the placards read : " Governor Oyebanji save our houses, Our houses should not be made as scapegoat for family fued"

 Others also read : " we should not be collateral damage in family disputes, we are law abiding citizens, Ewi please call Aduloju and Fajemilua family to order" amongst others.

Speaking, the Chairman of community Dr. Femi Olowookere who spoke with journalists said they were shocked yesterday when some group of people  who claimed to be from the Edemo family stormed the community with some officers from the RRS and started locking up peoples houses claiming the land belongs to them.

" They came with Chains and Padlocks and making it impossible for us to go into our houses, we have to go and sleep in our friends and families houses after we managed to get home in that heavy rain only to find our doors and gates locked without any prior notice.This is very very unfair as we paid and obtained all necessary documents before taking possession and started our buildings" he noted.

Dr Olowookere also alleged that some Elderly people and those who were sick were unable to go to the  hospital for their treatment as they were locked inside their homes.

 He therefore called on Governor Oyebanji, the deputy governor Mrs Monisade Afuye, the Senator representing Ekiti Central Constituency  Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele and the Ewi of Ado Ekiti His Royal Majesty  Oba Aladesanmi Adejugbe III to prevail on the Edemo families to stop the constant threats and harrasment.

" We hereby appeal to everybody concerned to kindly looked into our plight as we should not be the casualties of two siblings who are at logger heads, we are not a party to the disagreements between Aduloju and Fajemilua who are even brothers" he concluded.

In her own words Mrs Bamigboye Funmilayo expressed dissapointment at the commando style used by the Edemo family stating that their living at Glorious community was not by accident.

" we did not come here by accident, we paid all what we are asked to pay and we have our documents to back up our buildings here and so we find it absurd that the warring families will just come and be threatening us that our houses are about to be demolished and they locked up our houses, we have little children and some of them were locked inside and you can imagine how scared the children are thinking they were kidnappers this is not fair" she added painfully.

An Elderly woman who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the families of Edemo and Fajemilua the two families warring over the possesion of the lands  have put the people of the community into pains and untold hardship. She said the Fajemilua's who are siblings to the Aduloju's will come and threaten them that they are the righful owners with court papers and after negotiations the family of Edemo Aduloju will also come with another sticker that they are the rightful owners of the land leaving the residents in total confusion.

" We have paid and paid before building our houses here even registering the community with the Ado local government authority and now that the community has developed they now want to demolish our houses, this is nor fair the government should not let our efforts go into the drain" she pleaded.

It was reported that the family fued of the Edemo and Fajemilua are locked in supremacy battles over who has total authority over the land an action which has caused the residents of the community constant fear of losing their hard earned built homes.