Lagos Baale raises alarm over alleged plan to annex community

THE traditional ruler of Onosa town in Ibeju Lekki Local Council of Lagos State, Lawrence Olayiwola Abudo, yesterday, raised the alarm over an alleged move to annex his community.

The 80- year- old traditional ruler, who had been on the throne since 2008, told newsmen at his palace that the Baale of Desa community, Jelili Oluwaseyi Arimi, was behind the move.

But reacting, Arimi said there was no iota of truth in the allegation.

He said: “There is nothing like that. Arrogating to myself the Baale of Desa and Onosa? How? Onosa is an ancient town and I am even part of the community. I am not a stranger there. What I am saying is that I have land there. And my ownership of the land is in two ways; my father was a retired federal civil servant and he named the present Desa community, Desa Farm.” Abudo said Desa community was more of a settlement inhabited by a few persons and was situated at the left side of Onosa until the invasion of some land grabbers.

He noted that the matter got to the police station at Elemoro. He said the invaders wanted to use money to influence their mission, but some upright policemen stood their ground. He said at the police station, they were asked to nominate a Baale for Desa to forestall further encroachment. He said this was how the

Baale of Desa community was selected .

Abudo said: “I want the Lagos State government to call the Oba of Desa to order on his plans to annex my community. Prominent sons of Onosa made him Baale when the life of Desa was threatened. Now he has become so powerful that he wants to annex Onosa. “We know he has the support of some powerful personalities in the corridors of power but we won’t fold our hands and watch it happen. It may be disastrous. Onosa is an ancient town which has been in existence for over 400 years, owned by three families: Fokunade, Abudo, and Aranmoletiesho. There was an official gazette to that effect from the then state government.”