A widow’s home in Makoko, Lagos, was reportedly invaded by armed men in the early hours of Sunday, with the attackers allegedly beating her daughter, damaging the building and removing its roofing sheets in what the family described as an attempt to forcibly take possession of the property.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 2am at No. 20 Erejuwa Street, Makoko, in the Yaba area of Lagos.
According to the widow’s daughter, the attackers arrived armed with guns and machetes before threatening members of the household and forcing them out of the building. She sustained an injury to her jaw during the incident.
In a video recounting the incident, the woman alleged that the attackers identified themselves as being from Abule and Moje and claimed they had been sent to take over the property.
“At 2am in the midnight, they came, thugs. They said they are from Abule, they are from Moje. They came with guns and machetes to seize my mother’s land,” she said.
The daughter alleged that her mother had previously received threats over the property because she is a widow.
According to her, the attackers believed the widow lacked the support to resist an attempt to take over the land.
“They said because she doesn’t have anything, that they will collect the land from her by force. They now sent thugs,” she alleged.
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The attackers reportedly broke portions of the building and removed the roofing sheets while ordering the occupants not to record the incident.
The daughter also disputed claims that her mother had sold the property, saying the family possessed documents relating to the land.
She alleged that a local tout purportedly sold the property without the family’s consent, while the alleged attackers claimed that the land had been sold to a man identified as Honourable Timothy.
“We have all our documents. We have everything. Look at what they did. They came with guns in the middle of the night and started breaking the house, breaking it, removing the roofs,” she said.
The alleged attack reportedly left the widow, her daughter and a tenant without access to the house.
The daughter further alleged that the attackers threatened to kill her mother if she refused to leave the property.
The family is now appealing for intervention from community leaders and relevant authorities to prevent further attacks and resolve the underlying land dispute.
The daughter specifically called on residents of Makoko, members of the Ilaje community, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area, Bayo Adefuye, to intervene.