Over 5,000 internally displaced victims of alleged land grabbing, property demolition and alleged forceful acquisition of properties in some Ilorin communities, Kwara State, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter.
The people also want the government to compel the group managing director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, to compensate them with N160,750,000:00.
The spokesperson of the victims, Tope Ajetumobi, said that 976 structures were allegedly demolished in 2018 by the Nigerian Army Engineers in favour of NNPCL, rendering at least 5,000 people homeless without compensation.
He said that the affected areas are located at Oke- Oyi en route Tanke Pipeline Road to Babaode Oshin, Ilorin, and cover a distance of 11.83 kilometres with a width of 42.5 metres.
He said the affected structures included residential, commercial, religious, school, recreation centres and halls, parks, traders, health care providers and security outfit centres.
Ajetunmobi said efforts had been made to secure compensation, but the managing director of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, had allegedly frustrated efforts.
He called on President Tinubu to intervene urgently so that they could compensated.
He insisted that the House of Representatives Public Petitions Committee had in 2019 passed a resolution asking the NNPCL to assess the property’s value immediately and negotiate with the victims.
He said that NNPCL turned deaf ears to the House Committee’s advice.