Residents of Ilesa metropolis have continued to express their minds over the ongoing construction of the 6.2km Ereja Square to Brewery dual carriageway in Ilesa, especially events that have shaped the demolition of structures that have been marked for removal by the company in charge of the road project.
Recall that Governor Ademola Adeleke, on May 1, 2024, flagged off the dualization of Ereja Square through the Brewery to the Ilesa/Akure Expressway in the ancient town of Ilesha.
Adeleke, while appealing to residents to cooperate with engineers on site, disclosed that the road project that was awarded to Horizon Construction Company would cost the sum of N16.5b and be completed in the next 12 months.
A search by WITHIN NIGERIA via the Corporate Affairs Commission’s CAC portal revealed that three persons have significant control over Horizon Construction Company, namely, Onigbogi Olugbenga, Onigbogi Christianah Bola, and Wada Idris Ichalla.
Additional searches via the official site of the firm, whose head office is located in Abuja, also revealed that Gbenga Onigbogi, a former federal lawmaker, PDP chieftain, and chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Ilesa, is the chairman and CEO of Horizon Construction Company.
Barely two weeks after the flag-off ceremony of the N16.5b road project, the construction firm kicked off the execution of the project by marking structures obstructing new lanes for removal and demolition. As the new development is targeted to bring Ilesa metropolis closer to higher prosperity and notable infrastructural drive, it has not come without a price, which is the loss of physical structures that serve as obstacles to the completion of the project.
Some residents whose shops and buildings were marked for demolition are in severe pain. Aside from the loss of buildings, miscreants identified as political thugs emptied some shops, carted away burglaries, and iron sheets, among others.
A source told Within Nigeria that some political thugs were seen removing burglaries, iron pipes, and sheets belonging to citizens in Imo, a neighborhood in Ilesa.
According to the source, some thugs around 8:30 p.m. at night were seen in Imo removing solar bars and panels, among others.
Bayo, a resident of Kajola, while speaking with WITHIN NIGERIA, disclosed that these thugs came to our street in the night, and the noise from machines used in cutting these iron pipes could not allow people to sleep peacefully.
I thought they were representatives of the construction company and had to work at night to meet up with the target. When I woke up in the morning and saw some shop owners decrying the removal of their burglaries by unknown persons, I now discovered that they were miscreants who took advantage of the project to cart away people’s properties, Bayo further disclosed.
Timileyin, a resident reacting to the development, said the road project is no doubt a blessing to the town because it would boost economic activities and possibly attract investors.
According to Timileyin, there’s no major town in the south-west region that does not have a dualized road linking the federal road to the community except Ilesa, and he’s glad about the development.
Infrastructure drives economic prosperity. There must be sacrifices for every gain. I really sympathize with people who had to lose their ships and buildings, but they should be consoled that they are losing it for the greater good, Timileyin added.
Salewa, another resident, told Within Nigeria that it is evil and criminal for a group of thugs and miscreants to cart away items from demolished buildings.
People who were nursing pains over the demolition of buildings would wake up to see the remains being carted away by thugs. They burgled and looted some shops after removing their burglaries. Traders whose shops were emptied by criminals are the greatest losers. They would be looking for new shops and still looking for funds to buy new goods, Salewa added.
A reliable source told WITHIN NIGERIA that some political thugs led by an elder brother to a serving lawmaker in the state were the perpetrators of the criminal act.
The source also added that a council chairman led the police to the houses of these individuals to retrieve some items like solar bars, panels, and pipes that were carted away.
According to the source, two people were arrested and are currently in police custody, while others are currently at large.
In a telephone conversation with WITHIN NIGERIA, Hon. Fadipe Ibukun, PDP chieftain and SUBEB chairman, confirmed that burglaries, irons, and pipes, including solar bars, were removed by thugs.
He also condemned the unlawful removal of building materials belonging to owners of shops and buildings demolished by some miscreants, adding that the police and others are on top of the situation.
I was monitoring projects under SUBEB when I received a call that some people were carting away irons, among others, from buildings that had been demolished. I quickly traveled down to Ilesa, contacted the council chairman, and notified the police. He disclosed that we combed the entire area with the help of the council chairman, and some materials were retrieved.
Fadipe, popularly known as ‘IBK’, while reacting to claims that the thugs are loyal to his party, PDP, or persons in the party, stated that the council chairman was the one who took the police to the houses of these individuals and helped them to arrest two. Is it possible for us to arrest these thugs or chase them with the police if they were truly our party members? Hon. Fadipe inquired.
While reacting to the arrest of an elder brother of a serving lawmaker in the state by the police, Fadipe told WITHIN NIGERIA that the said person is just a relative of a state legislator and not a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It is not new for brothers to belong to different political parties. The fact that his younger brother is a member of our party does not imply that his elder brother should be a member too. However, the two people who have been arrested are not members of our party. The second person left our party in 2021 before the 2022 gubernatorial election, he added.