A Canada based pastor, Edward Taiwo Soetan, has raised the alarm over threat to his life on his N500 million estate in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
Apparently for fear of allegedly being killed, Soetan has turned to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over “Soetan Estate” which he bought in Orita Challenge 18 years ago.
He alleged that suspected thugs threatened to kill him over his property worth over N500 million.
“As if that was not enough, our client is now being confronted that whenever they see him around that land, they would kill him,” counsel to Soetan, Joy I. Amosun of AOC Solicitors and Attorneys said, adding: “Our client had to run for his dear life and relocated to Canada as the threat is too much.”
“These people in question, that is, Sesan Olooto, Kehinde Apampa, Adebayo, Sina Adeleke, Ismaila Bolanrinwa Amugiri, Biobaku Alaba Abiodun and some other unknown hoodlums would come to the land fully armed with dangerous weapons such as guns, daggers, cutlasses, etc and they have even turned the place to the base stating that whenever they found anybody around they would maim and kill the person,” the petitioner emphasised.
Before the latest petition to the IGP, the pastor had earlier petitioned Oyo State Police Commissioner, Ngozi Onadeko, over the destruction of the property (which include a filling station) in an attempt to execute a 2004 judgment which is pending in court. The petition was sent through his lawyer, Oladipupo Ige of Lateef Fagbemi Chambers.
But, in the second petition Soetan told Adamu that he had been facing persecution over the land, named Soetan Estate, which he bought in 2003 for commercial and residential purposes.
Those threatening him, according to the petition, are landgrabbers, allegedly led by one Sesan Olooto, with the assistance of a retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, “stating that they have got judgement.”
Soetan’s counsel stressed: “Upon verification, it was discovered that the said judgement was not against our client but in order not to sleep on his right, he instructed his counsel to approach court to challenge the authenticity of that judgment.”
The petitioner said that having taken the matter to court it was believed that the alleged landgrabbers would steer clear of the land in question but yet they continued, on daily basis, to keep disturbing occupiers of the properties.
The petitioner further said that it was highly disheartening to learn that the alleged hoodlums “have destroyed the properties of our client that worth over five hundred million naira (N500m) and they are still boasting around that no one can ask them to account for the loss.”