Chief Kamorudeen Lamina a Real Estate developer, auto dealer and hotelier , popularly known as Sir K in Lagos State in this interview , talks about the challenges in buying lands, how to avoid being duped during land purchase and the violence in Iraye community in Ogun State over land tussle among other issues.
How can prospective land buyers avoid scammers?
Anyone who is interested in purchasing land needs to go to those that are genuine. Persons who have physical offices that they can see and visit registered with the government . Land grabbers are in the bush, they do not have offices.
What are the challenges in the Real Estate business you are faced with?
The major challenge is, when after buying a land, there is the problem of different persons coming to challenge the purchase of the land. Family members will start suing one another for a land one had purchased and this can take time in the court to be resolved. I have to follow legal means to ensure that I get what I paid for and in a case like that, they start calling me a land grabber and I will tell them that I am not a land grabber. It is this back and forth that affects our business and discourages people from buying land. For instance, I bought lands from a head of a family in Iraye community in Ogun state since 2014 and I have not taken possession of the lands because members of the family sued the head of the family who sold the land to me.
In regards to the land you bought at Iraye community, there is an allegation that on September 20th you allegedly led policemen to the community to forcefully take over the lands you bought there?
Where I was on September 20th can be verified. I was at Ilaro community in Ogun state for a court matter .I travelled to Ilaro on September 19th with my lawyers and other members of my team. We slept in Ilaro so that we can attend a court case on September 20th. It was on my way back to Lagos that I was informed of the violence in Iraye community. I was not the one that wrote petition to the police. The allegation that I led policemen to the community is false and meant to tarnish my reputation. How can I be at Ilaro community and Iraye community at the same time? Since they are the ones claiming that I came there with the police, they should provide evidence in the form of video recording or photos. The hotel I stayed and the court case I went to attend at Ilaro community are verifiable and evidences that I was far away from Iraye community on the day of the violence.
You said you were informed of the violence at Iraye Community, so what information did you receive?
I arrived Lagos State about 7pm from Ilaro. I went to the Shotubo police station where I saw about twenty five police vehicles. I learnt that policemen from the Ogun state police command led by a Deputy Commissioner of police had stormed Iraye community in their numbers to dislodge cultists attacking policemen on duty in that community. These cultists killed one Ariyo on January 19th and the family wrote a petition to the Ogun State police command. When policemen went there to investigate, the cultists attacked the policemen and made them to sit on the floor, shot a policeman in the head. They also shoot policemen from STS sent there to investigate attacks in that community. The cultists have turned Iraye community to their base. It was due to these attacks, killings and other nefarious activity of the cultists that made the villagers to write a petition to the Ogun State command which made police to storm the community on September 20th.
So why are you being called a land grabber in Iraye land tussle, Is it because you were once charged to court for allegedly being a land grabber?
I have instructed my lawyers to sue anyone that calls me a land grabber because I am not a land grabber. I have a physical address and the police and anyone can come here to meet me. As for those T linking me with the attacks in Iraye community, they are clearly my enemies and they don’t want me to do my business . My arrest and prosecution by the Lagos state government in 2017 over allegation of grabbing 600 plots of land in Mowo Kekere Ifegbuwa family land in Ikorodu were done by my enemies and I was vindicated at the end of the day . Hon. Owolabi L. A in his ruling saw that the allegation against me was not investigated and I paid for the 600 plots of land. His ruling is that I am not a land grabber. I won against those who took me to court. I bought lands from the head of a family in Iraye community in 2014, a set of people came that they are also the owners of the land that I bought and I should settle them. The two parties are meeting out of court .I have not been to Iraye in the last five years so how can I be called a land grabber there when in fact I am yet to take possession of lands I bought there since 2014. I am not a land grabber.
How long did you spend in prison?
I spent more than five months in prison for mischievously tagged a land grabber.
Are you going to sue the Lagos State government over the court ruling in your favour?
No, I will not sue the Lagos State government. I have been proven innocent by the court that I bought the lands and I did not grab them. I leave everything to God.
How I spent eight months in detention for a crime I did not commit ----Chief Lamina
The rich also cry is the theme that best describe the ordeal Chief Kamorudeen Lamina a business mogul who deals in land, auto and hospitality faced when he was arrested and charged to court over allegation of landgrabbing by the lagos state government in 2017.
The lagos state government had passed the anti- land grabbing law and had set up the anti- land grabbing special offence Unit to check incessant cases of land grabbing. Chief kamorodeen at that time was said to be an alleged notorious land grabber and following the allegations, he was invited to the anti land grabbing unit for allegedly forcefully taking over 600 plots of land belonging to the Ifegbuwa family in Mowo Kekere community in Ikorodu.
My arrest and prosecution by the Lagos state government in 2017 over allegation of grabbing 600 plots of land in Mowo Kekere Ifegbuwa family land in Ikorodu were done by my enemies and I was vindicated at the end of the day . Hon. Owolabi L. A in his ruling saw that the allegation against me was not investigated and I paid for the 600 plots of land. His ruling is that I am not a land grabber. I won against those who took me to court. I bought lands from the head of a family in Iraye community in 2014, a set of people came that they are also the owners of the land that I bought and I should settle them. The two parties are meeting out of court .I have not been to Iraye in the last five years so how can I be called a land grabber there when in fact I am yet to take possession of lands I bought there since 2014. I am not a land grabber.
How long did you spend in prison?
I spent more than five months in prison for mischievously tagged a land grabber.
Are you going to sue the Lagos State government over the court ruling in your favour?
No, I will not sue the Lagos State government. I have been proven innocent by the court that I bought the lands and I did not grab them. I leave everything to God.
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