Army denies land-grab allegation by Osun community
The Nigerian Army has replied the Ifon – Osun Community land grabbing allegation petitioned against them. The Army denied the land-grab allegation from Ifon-Osun, an Osun State community.
This was disclosed by Onyema Nwachukwu, the army’s public relations director, in a statement. According to the statement, the Army said that that allegation is an attempt to drag the name of the institution in the mud.
The allegation which was in form of a protest and press conference on Tuesday, Babatunde Oyetunji, the Eesa of Ifon-Osun, accused the army of planning to hijack their community’s parcels of land in connivance with the Ilobu community.
Recall, that Ifon and Ilobu have been waging wars against each other for years over land disputes.
Oyetunji added that Taoreed Lagbaja, the chief of army staff, who is an indigene of the Ilobu community, was planning to use his position to forcefully take over the Ifon land for the construction of an intervention project.
While absolving itself of the allegation, the army said the intervention project a medical centre was the concept of a retired officer. It said the proposal is yet to be “formally forwarded to the chief of army staff for approval.
In the statement, Nwachukwu said the army has no idea of any land owner. It is only when and if the request of the retired senior officer is forwarded to the Chief of Army Staff and is approved, that the Army can send a team to carry out due diligence on the project site and carry along all stakeholders in the process.
