The hilltop mansion of former president Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta was on April 20, 2016 stormed by hundreds of indigenes and residents of Sango-Ijoko in Ado-Odo/Ota local government area of Ogun State who were protesting what they called ‘boundary anomaly’ of the proposed Sango-Ijoko Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in the state.
The protesters called on the former president to save them from “unjust” boundary adjustment.
Bearing placards with various inscriptions, the aggrieved Sango-Ijoko residents also stormed the State House of Assembly, calling on lawmakers not to allow the ceding of some of their communities to another LCDA.
The protest was a new twist over the proposed creation of 37 LCDAs out of the existing 20 local government areas by the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration.
Absence of Obasanjo at home did not deter the protesters as they submitted a petition at his residence for “necessary action.”
Led by Chief Aderemi Quadri and Chief Idowu Olaniyi, the residents expressed concern over move to excise their communities and merge them with Ota communities.
According to them, the impending arrangement will deprive Sango of its garage, market, primary and secondary schools and only health centre.
“Our primary purpose of coming here is to press forward our agitation that our community should not be separated or divided. We are hearing as a matter of rumour that part of our community will be merged with Ota and basically these areas, Araromi, Ketere and others are the core settlers of Sango,” he added.
Other community leaders, including the Iyaloja of Sango, Mrs Abigael Adedokun, Vice Chairman of Hausa Community in Sango-Ijoko, Al-Qassim Hassan, and representative of Community Development Associations (CDAs), Elder Josiah Solanke, said their amenities should not be given to another community.
At the House of Assembly complex, the speaker, Suraj Adekunbi, promised that the legislature would look into their agitation and their petition.
Adekunbi, who was accompanied by the deputy speaker, Olakunle Oluomo, disclosed that the House had received over 100 petitions on the proposed LCDAs adding they would consider all the issues.
