Residents Of Lagos State Free Trade Zone Tackle Commissioner, Lola Akande Over Land Racketeering

Residents of displaced communities in Parcel B and Free Trade Zone in Lagos State have asked Mrs Lola Akande, the Commissioner for the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperative to show evidence that the representatives of the families engaged the services of Barrister Lanre Ogunlesi (SAN) as their lawyer to represent them in a protracted land dispute.
SaharaReporters had earlier published a letter from the communities to Ogunlesi to stop parading himself as their lawyer in the ongoing land crisis.

“It came to our notice via a letter dated the 19th day of July 2022 written to us through the office of the Permanent Secretary to the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperative (letter is hereby attached for emphasis) that you have been referred to as our communities lawyer, particularly in the 2nd paragraph of the said letter which is not only ridiculous but indeed laughable,” part of the letter read.
“You are a lawyer to the Surveyor Awokoya and Oloja of Epe and those communities that choose to be with them or (you are ) consultant to Mrs Lola Akande because we are not going to recognise you without the Lagos State official letter confirming Olusegun Awokoya as the State Government consultant base on your assertion that “Surveyor Awokoya” should be addressed as consultant because we did not actually engage Awokoya as consultant to our communities.”
In 2006, when Lekki Free Zone was created, about three communities were identified as Abomiti, Yeguda and Eyin-Osa.
However, the government allocated another land, which is 10% of what it compulsorily acquired for the displaced communities elsewhere for their resettlement, which some top Lagos State Government officials, and two traditional rulers in Epe and Ogun State, are allegedly now hijacking and converting to theirs, so as to start selling through some real estate companies.
The communities had alleged Akande, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperative, in collaboration with Oba Kamarudeen Animashaun, the Oloja of Epe; one Oba Ganiyu Olusegun Awokoya, aka {Alhaji White}, the Onirete of Irete in Ogun State, were trying to convert the Abomiti, Yeguda and Eyin-Osa resettlement land for kickbacks.
In a statement in reaction to the letter received from the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperative dated 19th July 2022, Chief Obafemi Onayemi Obajimi, the Baale of Onigbagbo wondered while the commissioner had been referring to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria as their lawyer.
Obajimi specifically asked Mrs Akande to show evidence where they introduced Ogunlesi to the ministry.