We’ve Been Sleeping In The Cold, Says Widow Affected By Ogun Building Demolition

A widow, Mrs Bukola Shitu, whose building was demolished alongside others at Magboro community in Ogun State, has cried out to the state government to come to her aid, saying she and her children had been sleeping in the cold.

The widow’s building, a worship centre operated by her late husband, Mudashiru Shitu, was demolished by the state government on the grounds that it was built on government’s land.

However, the widow said the claim was untrue, stating that her late husband had the necessary documents and also got approval from the necessary government agency before construction commenced 10 years ago.

She said: “On March 22 , while service was ongoing, officials of the Ogun State Government came. The leader threatened to demolish the building with us in it if we didn’t come out on time. We hurriedly rounded up the prayer session.

“Before the demolishing was carried out, some officials of the Urban and Regional Planning from Warewa area had come to serve us notice of demolition. We were not afraid because we had all necessary documents.

“Before they commenced the demolition, I approached one of the officials to know why they wanted to destroy our church and house. He said we built on government acquired land. I showed them our documents. We also charted the land from the Ministry of Land, where we were certified that it was not government acquired land.

“Since the demolition, my children and I have been sleeping in the cold. I don’t know where to start from. Everything my late husband laboured for has gone down the drain because of the unjust treatment.”

Other affected landlords also claimed they had approval from government agency to build in the community, with some alleging they were manhandled by security operatives that accompanied the officials, during the demolition process.