As agitations against conversion of Agodi Gardens into residential estate thicken, thugs were sighted around the contentious land this afternoon.
OYOINSIGHT.COM reporters who monitored situation around the area, observed an earthmoving equipment working on the entrance of the proposed estate, just beside the office of the Amotekun, a southwestern security task force by governors of Yoruba states.
Coming from Cultural Centre, the thugs in 15 commercial buses were stationed adjacent the gate of the new estate, by the electricity substation, just by the foot of the Premier Hotel, battle-ready.
This development is coming few hours after thugs, in 6 commercial buses, attacked protesting residents opposed to the conversion of the 150-acre facility.
Determined to sell off important legacy structures, the Seyi Makinde administration is leaving no stone unturned. The conversion of Agodi Gardens is coming after Trans Amusement Park, Bodija, is being converted into residential estates.
GOVERNMENT SPONSORED THUGS ASSAULT PEACEFUL SAVE AGODI GARDENS WALK PARTICIPANTS IN THE OYO STATE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
Several of us green conservationist groups organized a peaceful walkout in Ibadan City yesterday, from the gate of Agodi Gardens to the various offices of the Executive Governor of Oyo State and the Honourable Commissioners for Lands and Housing, and Environment.
There was a good turnout with close to 130 participants from several walks of life and several different age groups. Proudly carrying the banners we had made ourselves, singing and distributing fliers.
By 10am neither the Executive Governor nor the Commissioner for Lands and Housing nor the Commissioner for Environment were yet on seat and we had been at Secretariat since 7 a.m. and I was thinking irreverently to myself, that’s not a bad life.
After a few more happy songs, and a few more photographs of ourselves and our banners with moved out of Secretariat and down the road and up Premier Hill into the recently deforested
areas of Agodi Forest of the Ogunpa Forest Reserve.
Unable to keep up with the rest I had a little sit down at the Agodi Gardens Gate. And kept myself entertained by taking random photos of trees and leaves and a large number of selfies, each one worse than the one before.
Until I was summoned by the burly, heavily armed escorts of a minor government official also resting in the Agodi Gardens carpark.
Now, I was brought up during the era of military rule. And as a young fun-loving medical student frequently found myself in the early hours of the morning , coming back to the hostel from the night before’s party, on my knees in front of various military personnel pleading with them to give us back our driver.
Over forty years later when summoned by armed men in uniform my first reaction is invariably ‘oops! What did I do now?!’
As it turned out I was being summoned on the grounds that they had noticed me ‘viewing’. A new crime for my book of misdemeanors stretching back some sixty odd years!
And they demanded for my phone and to see the photographs. So I showed them. Scrolling through close to twenty excruciatingly bad selfies until they themselves had had enough and dismissed me.
I could only shake my head. Could this be the same country that wants to initiate a revenue from tourism?
When government officials have arrested the first eager flock of Japanese tourists with their state of the art digital cameras, for ‘viewing’, the whole enterprise will have to be called off.
I was now getting hungry. Having breakfasted on only a couple of small trans-fat laden deep fried buns. So I called my partner to come and pick me up.
And then the action started. Frantic security alert messages started rushing thick and fast into my phone. Warnings that thugs were being mobilized, with urgent instructions to get back to the starting point at Agodi Gardens for dispersal.
Those of us with vehicles had parked our cars in the lay-by next to the wall of Agodi Gardens, well behind the yellow lines and off the road.
We were not fast enough.3 white with blue stripe busloads of PMS workers, some sporting caps inscribed with the name of their Chairman, Tommi, had swooped down on our parked cars and were able to tow away three of our vehicles using an OYRTMA towing truck. Which they drove off into their premises inside the Oyo State Government Secretariat.
With the rest of us in more cars in hot pursuit.
A few participants who parked their cars in their premises, later had their tyres deflated.
Even as I speak the cars are still in their custody. In spite of several appeals to have them released.
I came out on to the road to wait for my partner, thinking that it would just be another long afternoon of pleading with the relevant officials to release our cars, and they didn’t need me
for that.
Little did I know. But I kept one eye on the 18 seater bus-loads of PMS workers, that were now being driven back and forth around us. The instant they parked the buses and started storming into the OYRTMA premises, my partner drove up and I said lets move away from these buses now. This is not looking good.
I got home to find countless terrified messages on my phone. Frantic calls for help! They are beating us o! They are carrying koboko o! They are beating the young students who came with us!! They have deflated our tyres!! The OYRTMA and government officials are helping them to beat us by pointing out our group members!! They even threw aside the cap of one of our members and threatened to stab her!!
I was horrified and speechless yesterday. I am still horrified today.
And yet I know one thing. You cannot stand up to a dictatorship, military or civilian, any more than you can tell an armed robber to give you back the phone, cash and ATM cards he has just relieved you of.
You cannot dialogue with those who have no conscience and no brakes.
Another strategy is needed to halt the desecration of Agodi Forest.
Rosalie Ann Modder-Oyefeso
For the Save Our Green Spaces Group,
Ibadan,
December 2023.
