The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has urged Governor Seyi Makinde to suspend the ongoing demolition of properties across several parts of Ibadan, describing the exercise as insensitive and capable of provoking widespread anger among residents.
In a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC said halting the demolitions was the only way to avert an “imminent revolt” by displaced property owners and affected communities.
Sadare faulted the justification offered by the state government for pulling down structures said to have encroached on federal facilities and lands in Ibadan and Saki, insisting that the administration’s actions have inflicted untold hardship on innocent citizens.
“The lamentations coming from victims of the ongoing demolition of citizens’ properties along the stretch earmarked for the Ibadan Circular Road Project are so deafening that no sensitive government should ignore,” Sadare stated.
He lamented that several families had been rendered homeless, with some individuals reportedly dying from shock and trauma, while the government appeared indifferent.
“To make matters worse, the state government has not been able to explain why it must displace thousands of families just to deliver a 110-kilometre road project,” he said.
“Questions have also been raised on what the governor intends to do with over 500,000 plots of land being taken from rightful owners, most of whom are poor citizens, yet no clear answers have been provided.”
Sadare warned that the escalating tension could degenerate into a public uprising if not urgently addressed, noting that residents were being “pushed to the wall.”
“The signals are clear,” he said. “A large number of victims and other aggrieved residents might soon take matters into their own hands. We do not want any crisis in our dear state, which is why we are appealing to Governor Makinde to reduce the setback on the Circular Road project to 100 metres, instead of the current 500 metres being enforced on both sides.”
He also cautioned that other groups dissatisfied with the government’s policies, especially traders and business owners in major markets, could join in any potential protest, further heightening tensions.
“The government must act fast,” Sadare noted as he advised the governor to take immediate steps to halt the demolition exercise, and instead, engage affected citizens in dialogue to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
