When I was in year 2 in my university days, I strolled to my hostel that fateful Friday afternoon from a tedious study week and I was just so happy to embrace the weekend rest and enjoy the peace of the evening, but it was all cut short when I saw my roommate and best friend crying profusely in our favourite gist spot, I was so confused wondering what was happening and the next thing I heard was “uncle Deji is dead”. Our favourite uncle was stabbed by Omo-onile when he was dragging his latest land ownership with them, I was devastated and the well longed for weekend for resting was filled with painful tears and wails. This leads to our topic for today: LAND GRABBERS (OMO-ONILE)
Land grabbers, also known as “Omo onile” in the Yoruba language, are individuals or groups of people who forcefully take land that does not belong to them. They are well known for using violent means to achieve their goals and are a significant threat to the peace and security of communities. Let’s discuss about them and the impact they have on Nigeria
Who are the OMO-ONILE? They are individuals or groups of people who claim ownership of a particular piece of land and use force or violence to take control of it. They usually target vulnerable communities or individuals who may not have the resources to defend themselves and are not connected with a real estate company. Land grabbers operate mainly in urban areas and are known to use tactics such as intimidation, extortion, and violence to achieve their goals.
What are their impact in Nigeria? The impact of omo-onile in Nigeria is far-reaching and devastating (like the loss of uncle Deji’s life). Communities are often displaced from their homes and forced to abandon their land, which is their main source of livelihood. The economic impact of land grabbing is also significant, as many people rely on their land for agriculture and other income-generating activities. The land grabbing phenomenon has also led to an increase in the number of land disputes, which often result in protracted legal battles and the loss of life and property.
Popular Nigerian Land Grabbers: One of the most notorious land grabbers in Nigeria is the Omo-onile syndicate. This group operates mainly in Lagos State amongst many others, where it is estimated that they control over 70% of the land in the state. They are known to use violence and intimidation to take control of land, and many property owners have fallen victim to their tactics. The Omo onile syndicate has been responsible for numerous cases of violence, including murder, and their activities have led to the displacement of many communities in Lagos State. Land grabbing has always been a serious problem in Nigeria, its good to know that the Nigerian government has taken steps to address the problem, including the establishment of a task force to tackle land grabbing.
My candid two cents to all of these would be that you should always make use of a real estate company and RealtorMax international is always available to help out, till date, anytime Uncle Deji, I get pained because “if ony he knew”.
