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The management of Shalom Nursery and Primary School and Cedar College, Baruwa, Ipaja, Lagos have raised the alarm over the invasion of their school premises by people suspected to be land grabbers.
The school management has also alleged assault on some staff of the school.
According to the proprietress, Mrs. Adedayo Odeka, the land grabbers invaded the school premises last Saturday with two armed policemen to carry out the act.
Odeka said when she requested for a copy of the judgment from the two policemen that accompanied them to the premises after they forcefully gained entrance to the school, they refused to let them see a copy of the alleged ex parte injunction secured from the court.
She however disclosed that the land in question was bought from government and there is no dispute or any Court matters concerning the property as well as there are documents to back their claim.
“We plead with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene, there is no dispute on the land. We are begging the government to come and rescue us from the land grabbers,” she said.
The proprietress further said the management alerted the Alagolo Police Station, Ipaja and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) which called both parties to a meeting to resolve the issue amicably, but the land grabbers left the meeting angrily and went back to the school premises to continue the act of illegality.
Meanwhile, on Monday morning, more than 200 pupils of the school were seen in front of the school gate carrying placards with various inscriptions such as ‘save our school; I came to school this morning only to be denied access; we want to learn’, among others.
Principal of the College, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Okocha, at the school premises, said the incident happened on Saturday as the land grabbers invaded the school, pulled down the gates and fenced it off.
Okocha noted that the land grabbers came with armed policemen and all efforts to appeal to them fell on deaf ears as they threatened to shoot.
Also, the PTA Chairman, Mr. Champion Afolayan, said: “We rushed down here at the weekend, the hoodlums that invaded the school numbered 100, we passed through the back gate to rescue the students and our daughter, a boarder.
“The the school and the alleged land grabbers should have a dialogue and settle whatever issues amicably.
“Our children should be considered, they are our future leaders, their mates are in school, while they are outside,” he said.
However, when a journalist from The Guardian newspaper contacted the Police public Relation Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police, Benjamin Hundeyin on the issue, he stated that the issue is not a police case but a civil matter.
He further said that the police will not interfere in the matter expect there is criminality to it.
“If they start fighting, we are going to step in but as long as it is over land, we would not step in”, he said.
