Baale Peter Ogungbesan
By Our Reporter
High Chief Peter Oriyomi Ogungbesan, the Baale of Ora Kingdom, Eredo LCDA, Epe, Lagos State has cleared the air on some issues bothering on land-grabbing incidents between Odogbawojo, Ora communities.
He said that he was not aware of any landgrabbers in his community, the people that invaded his community some years back regretted their action.
“I don’t tolerate nonchalant and I will never give room for such unlawful activities in my community, ” he said.
The Lagos State Government has reviewed the State Properties Protection Law, LSPPL, 2016 to expunge option of fines to any convicted landgrabber(s) with mandatory six years jail term to serve as deterrence to others.
Ogungbesan recalled that the lagos state government had assigned a six years jailed term for land grabbers, therefore, anyone found in that act in Ora community shall be arrested and be handed over to the police for prosecution.
The High Chief said that Ora, Odogbawojo and the neighboring community have been together for about 300 years. Ora came from Idowa, Ijebu while Odogbawojo came from Owu. They are brothers and have been doing things together for ages.
“My grandfather was once the Baale of Odogbawojo while my father was the first Olu of Ora Kingdom. In 1983 during the era of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Ambrose Ali, Chief Tele Olukoya, Alhaji Lateef Jakande and others, my father was a stalwart of the UPN then and they decided to host a caucus meeting here in my father’s house.
“After the meeting, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his team decided to honour my father with the esteemed chieftaincy title of the Kaabiesi of Odogbawojo but the effort was truncated by the military take-over of 1983/84 before his death in 1984, ” he said.
According to him, It was the former Alara of Ilara Kingdom who saw the need to have me as the custodian of our cultural heritage in Ora land and graciously installed me the Baale of Ora Kingdom. The position I have since occupied since 2017.
“We have been here together and having peaceful relationships without any acrimony.
“Even the new king, HRM Oba Marufdeen Adelani Adeniyi is my friend. We attended the same school here in Mojoda-Odoayan and I have since sent a congratulatory letter to him through my secretary on his emergence as the monarch, ” he said.
Ogungbesan debunked the allegations that he sent touts and hoodlums to Odogbawujo land to disturb them. “This is not true, we are brothers.
According to him, series of issues have been coming up between the two communities over the years. Our leader and the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has waded in sometimes in the past when the late Oniru represented him in a truce between us. The white paper is here for perusal.
The High Chief said that it’s a lie for anyone to say, Ora is not in the map. A place where the law of our land recognises, who can tell you that it is not existing.
“I have shared some documents for you to verify. In fact, there are some things we share in common as a neighboring communities; The Oluweri, the Oro, the Kilajolu and others.
“Traditionally, whenever the Kilajolu masquerade comes out, before setting its eyes on the Kaabiesi, it must see the Shugbola first.
“Also, when we make sacrifices such as ‘Oju-Oshi’ we use to exchange the sacrificial animals among ourselves. We have a lot of things in common. We are brothers, ” he said.
Ogungbesan said that both communities are brothers. What I only noticed over time was that some disgruntled elements within the community are planning ill and disruptive activities in recent times.
“Imagine the arrest of some of my sons claiming that they came to attack them or grab their lands was uncalled for.
“Those boys were arrested for doing next to nothing. I sent them on an errand and they were accosted and taken to the Noforija Police Station. Immediately I called the police officer who confirmed it, ” said Baale Ogungbesan.
He stated that the former king, HRM Oba Mufutau Ogunnukan was also misled at a point in time before he realised the intricacies and deceitful nature of some elements in the town.
Ogungbesan therefore, called in Governor Sanwo-Olu and other relevant stakeholders to wade into this land matter for a lasting solutions between the two sister communities.
“I want peace to reign, we have been enjoying peaceful coexistence and I want to sustain it, ” he said.
