Group alleges move by LASEPA official, Pastor to illegally take over house of 73-yr-old widow

A alleged plot to disposes one Alhaja Ayisatu Alasela, 73, of her residential building located at N0 8, Bakare Opesha Street, Papa Shafa, Agege, Lagos, has been uncovered by civil rights group, Save Lagos Group (SLG).

The civil rights group, Save Lagos Group (SLG) in a petition signed on Wednesday by its convener, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, said that the plot to disposes Alhaja Alasela was led by an official of Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) called Tunji in connivance with an acclaimed cleric, Pastor Alabi and a politician simply identified as Chief Oshodi, in the Age area of the state.

The group said the building in question was bequeathed to Alhaja Alasela and her children 13 years ago after the death of her husband, late Alhaji Alasela (on the 2nd of April, 2007), while Pastor Alabi, is a Pastor in-charge of Christ Apostolic Church situated at N0 5, Hassan Adejobi Street, Papa Ashafa, off Mulro Bus stop, along Oyewole Road and Seriki.

Pastor Alabi’s Church, situated at N0 5, Hassan Adejobi Street, according to SLG, had been violating the COVID-19 lockdown order of the Federal and State government in the area and people of the area, have been seriously complaining about the noise of the Church.

Comrade Sulaiman, in the petition, stated that on the 15th day of June, 2020, purported officials of “LASEPA led by one Tunji, illegally invaded the elderly widow’s house, with the aim of causing panic for the old woman and her tenants so that they would abandon the house, by saying that the State government had directed the agency to seal the building in question for violating the government lockdown directive”.

Comrade Sulaiman said that “Tunji was acting the script of Pastor Alabi and Chief Oshodi by dubiously leading other officials of LASEPA to the window’s house for their illegal duty where the generator of a tenant was carted away and part of the house vandalized, in the belief that their action would scare the woman and her tenants away from the house.

“Their plan was to send the helpless woman out of the house, and then later claim that the government has seized the building and also claim later that government was planning to auction the building, then Pastor Alabi with Chief Oshodi will bid for the building and win same which will later be used to expand his church.

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“Further investigation carried out by the SLG revealed that the management of LASEPA did not know anything about the action of Tunji against the elderly widow because the purported agency’s letter was not directed to Alasela house”.

Accordng to the SLG, the LASEPA letter dated 15th of June, 2020 with reference number: EPA/LAS/1650 and signed by an unknown person stated that “the agency ordered the closure of N05, Hassan Adejobi Street, Papa Ashafa, off Mulro Bus stop along Oyewole Road and Seriki for noise pollution and non-compliance with the Government directives.

“The order therefore directed that the occupant ceases forthwith to operate at the site and the site remains closed until its compliance status is satisfactory.

“The illegal invasion of the house by Tunji of LASEPA was reported to the Alabo Divisonal Police station on 16th day of June, 2020 and the matter was assigned for immediate action to a Policewoman called “Iyah Nkem”, but the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) who was in-charge of the matter refused to act for fear of Chief Oshodi who claimed to be a politician,” the group added.

Comrade Sulaiman, therefore, called for an independent investigation into the matter from the Lagos State government through the State Ministry of Environment and Sanitation and authority of LASEPA through its Director General, saying that the action of Tunji on behalf of LASEPA as caused psychological and mental trauma to the aged widow.

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