By Tola Gbadamosi
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Four members of a land-grabbing syndicate who have been terrorizing Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State for the past 28 years have been arrested by the Men of the Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) of the Ondo Police Command.
The suspects were identified as; Lekan Ayinla, Aka Patricia, Kolajobi Temitope and Gbenga Adeusi.
The Hope Metro gathered that SWAT men were deployed following an information given to them by members of Atiperi Community in Oda town that some land grabbers were terrorizing land owners in the community.
According to a source, it was revealed that Ayinla, who is popularly known as (The Law) has been declared wanted in Ekiti State since 1994.
He was said to have collaborated with three others including a female and have been operating in Ondo state since 1994.
Narrating his experience, Oladuniye Maxwell, 56, told our correspondent how he was duped of his piece of land by the grabbers in the community.
According to him, “I was told by one of my relatives who lives abroad that he has paid the sum of one million naira to a man popularly known as “The Law” for a year, and that he was issued a receipt for the piece of land.
“After all transactions, I got to the land a year later to start farming and realised that the land has been occupied.
“I contacted the person working on the land, a policeman, who said he bought the same piece of land from the same people for one million naira.”
“Another victim, a- 60 year-old car dealer, Adewumi Ademola bargained on the same piece of land for N600,000 and had paid the sum of N300,000 and was to pay balance later.
Ademola explained that when the three of them realised they have been duped, they called on the SWAT men and called on the dubious persons to come for the balance of their money and the four of them were subsequently apprehended.