By Wuraola Oyedokun
Property owners along the Ibadan Circular Road corridor, on Thursday appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, and other national and traditional authorities to intervene urgently over what they describe as unlawful land acquisition and threats of forced displacement.
The appeal was made by residents of six local government areas who came from Akinyele, Ona Ara, Ido, Lagelu, Oluyole and Egbeda local government areas of the state.
They urged the government to maintain the 150 metres already marked for the construction of the circular road. They described the plans by the Oyo State government to acquire additional 850 metres for the construction of Ibadan Circular Road as an attempt to displace and oppress thousands of people.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists [NUJ] Press Centre, Ibadan, the convener of the Corridor Residents of Ibadan Circular Road, Prince Adeniyi Fasoye, said the residents were seeking high-level intervention “before more lives are lost” and warned that they would commence mass protests if their demands were not addressed within seven days.
“President Tinubu should intervene before more lives are lost. Senate President, senators, traditional rulers in Yorubaland, we don’t want anarchy. The governor should not allow anarchy to happen. After seven days, we won’t listen to anyone again. We will not allow anyone to take over our land. Our lands are our lives. No more corridor,” Fasoye said.
Fasoye said residents had attempted peaceful engagement, including petitions to the palace of the Olubadan, but had not secured a resolution. “We have done everything to make the meeting peaceful, all to no avail. That is what necessitates this press conference,” he said, adding that if the state government failed to act, residents would “lock down all Oyo roads” in protest.
He also addressed claims about compensation, saying those who had received payments were “victims of the right of way” and not members of the residents’ movement. “Two hundred and thirty-four victims have been compensated,” he said, asserting that the bulk of corridor residents have not been paid.
Speaking at the briefing, Surveyor Olapado Wasiu (Baale Aroro) , chairman of the Council of Traditional Rulers in the affected local government areas, described the expanded corridor as serving private commercial interests rather than public purposes.
“Corridor is for commercial interest, not public interest. If you are taking people’s land, there must be adequate compensation before you remove people from their land. No forceful acquisition of land. The government is supposed to protect people’s interest, not punish them. According to laws, the government holds land in trust for the people. The Governor is a trustee, not the owner,” Wasiu said.
Also appealing for traditional intervention, Alhaji Muili Oladepo, Baale Balogun of Moniya, urged Oba Ladoja to intercede on behalf of residents. “Save us from dying, because a lot of people have died. You have the power to do it,” he told reporters.
The protest group’s demands reflect an ongoing dispute over the scope and process of land acquisition for the Ibadan Circular Road project. Residents say the corridor’s right-of-way, originally described in earlier plans as 75 metres from the midpoint, was unilaterally expanded, a move they contend was not pursued with the constitutionally required procedures for compulsory acquisition and fair compensation.
