A parcel of land, purchased at Sango by the management of Intercontinental Distillers Limited (IDL) in Otta, Ogun
State, is causing division among residents of Ali-Isiba and Igbala, both in Sango, Ogun State, with a minority as dissidents.A skeletal Facebook story, published by Otta Olofo (Otta Gossip), which reads that: “Big man and IDL in Otta, Ogun State, Mr. Patrick Anegbe allegedly blocked community road for his own territoriality, after buying properties in one neighborhood at Igbala, causing flooding and blockage of access to people,” captured the interest of Crime Puzzle, which consequently expanded its investigation.
To start with, our reporter frantically explored all means to contact the publisher of Otta Olofofo via voice calls and short messages (sms), to gather details on the matter, all to no avail, as there were no responses from the other end.
However, in its unrelenting and desperate efforts to escalate investigation on the matter, Crime Puzzle reached out to a prominent personality in Ali-Isiba, one of the two areas the uproar emanated from.
The Asiwaju of Sango, High Chief Semiu Babatunde, whose street is named after him, expressed deep concern over what he described as “eating one’s cake, and still want to have it.”
According to Babatunde, “What else do they want the company to do, having met our collective demands? We championed an initial protest against the company when ‘Omo Oniles’ sold the land to its management, during which we sought extension of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the two communities, Ali-Isiba and Igbala. The company’s management graciously acceded and donated a 500kva transformer to Ali-Isiba, and gave Igbala community a whopping sum of N25m to embark on developmental projects.
The traditional chief stated that those behind the upheavals are trying to milk the company, thinking that they can achieve their self-help decoy of extortion, which after failing, resorted to blackmail.
“It is a small faction of people that are masterminding this unrest. They want the company to settle them individually. Some of them that are crying more than the bereaved. They don’t live in these communities. The Ogun State Government, through its Ministry of Lands, as well as Environment, has been here over this matter, ” the traditional chief explained.
Continuing, the Asiwaju of Sango disclosed that the road in question was closed by the Ado-Odo/Otta Local Government Council following series of complaints by residents, to the effect that the said road is used by men of the underworld to infiltrate and attack the community.
Reacting to the foregoing, Media Consultant to IDL and Publisher of The Voice Magazine, Otunba Damilola Oladele, stated that an individual, who owns a half plot of land in the area, “is the one fanning this ember of discord. He is fighting tooth and nail, demanding N70m from IDL, an unsubstantiated claim.
“He has even gone as far as taking the matter to the State House of Assembly. He didn’t wait for the outcome of the Assembly’s action, he went to file a suit in the court. For five sittings now, the man did not appear in court. The case has been adjourned to sometime in September,” Oladele disclosed.
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