The Oyo State Government and leaders of the affected community have dismissed claims that any property belonging to a former deputy governor of the state was damaged during the demolition of a fence linked to an ongoing road dispute.
Speaking on the issue, the Secretary, Mr Yusuf Bolaji, alongside Alhaji Dikirulahi Tiamiyu, explained that the demolished fence was erected on a long-existing service road meant for the benefit of all residents in the community, stressing that no individual has exclusive ownership of the road.
They emphasised that reports alleging that the former deputy governor’s property was affected were false, noting that no structure on his land was touched during the exercise.
Mr Bolaji explained that the road had existed for decades and had been in constant use before it was suddenly blocked. He said he bought land in the area in 1983 and had freely used the road for more than 30 years.
“I came here in 1983 to buy a land. This road has been there for the past 30 years and we have been plying it. Suddenly, the road was blocked by Engr Olaniyan and the motor dealers. There was no building here before,” he said.
Corroborating his account, Alhaji Dikirulahi Tiamiyu disclosed that complaints had been lodged with both the Federal Ministry of Lands and the Oyo State Ministry of Lands. He said officials from the ministries visited the site and examined the community’s approved master plan.
According to him, the authorities confirmed from the master plan that the disputed portion was a designated service road that had existed for many years.
“I have been here since 1967. The other undeveloped land here belongs to the former deputy governor of Oyo State, and you can see that nothing was touched there,” Tiamiyu stated.
He added that the community’s demand was simply the reopening of the access road linking the Express area to Bodija, lamenting that several previous reports made to relevant authorities had not yielded results.
“All we are after is just to open this access road, right from the Express here to Bodija. We have made reports several times which proved abortive,” he said.
