Residents of Ilupeju Community in Osogbo on Tuesday held a peaceful protest against what they described as an alleged plan by the Osun State Ministry of Lands and Physical Development to block the community’s only access road.
The PUNCH reported that the protesters carried placards with messages including “Save Ilupeju and Shittu Estate from Isolation,” “Stop violation of our right to movement,” and “Our road, our right.” They accused some ministry officials of collaborating with homeowners in a nearby government-owned estate to obstruct the road leading to their community.
Speaking for the protesters, the community’s counsel, Taiwo Ajibola, warned that blocking the access road would create hardships for over 4,000 residents.
Ajibola explained that during discussions between community representatives and ministry officials, they were informed that the current access road was part of a parcel of land owned by an undisclosed individual.
He added that the land was later revoked and reallocated by the state government, raising suspicions among homeowners that influential figures were working with government officials to restrict access to the area.
“We have about 3,000 houses in this community and about 4,000 inhabitants. So, blocking this road is going to cause a lot of security and emergency concerns. In the middle of this crisis, around March 2025, we were on this matter, and one person was claiming ownership of this land, but in the actual sense, we discovered that he is not an allottee of the land. Around August last year, we saw a notice on this land for revocation.
“Later on, the community applied that the land should be allotted to us so that we can make an access road out of it. But at the end of the day, we found out that the property had allegedly been allotted to another person, and they did not even carry us along.
“So, we are not going to allow that. We have written to the governor, and we have even written a petition to the police. The police are aware of this protest, and the governor is also aware. We are passionately requesting that the Government of Osun State please give us access to our community. This is the only access road we have. It should not be blocked,” Ajibola said.
Supporting the protesters, Abdulrahim Iderawumi of Sobaloju Lobekan Compound, who represented the family that owned the land, stated that the road had served residents for years and urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to intervene.
“This access road is the only road for the people living within this community. The land here was given to the Federal Government years ago, and we do not know what concerns the state government about it.
“From time immemorial, it has been the access road to the community. The people building houses here have no other road than this place. We do not know why they are now blocking it. Governor Adeleke should intervene,” Iderawumi said.
Responding to the allegations, Osun State Commissioner for Lands and Physical Development, George Alabi, said a property had been developed on the parcel originally intended as the community’s access road, insisting the current road was unauthorised.
However, Alabi offered a potential solution, noting, “During our last meeting, the leaders of the adjoining community personally requested my presence, and I honoured them. I went there last Wednesday to see things for myself. After I examined all the roads they showed me, I informed them that the ministry will find a way to create access for them, so that there will be peace between the Ilupeju Community and the GRA residents.”
