The standoff between the Oyo State Government and landlords affected by the Ibadan Circular Road project has deepened, as homeowners across several communities continue to protest alleged forceful demolitions and land takeovers.
For more than a week, landlords from six local government areas have staged repeated demonstrations, accusing the government of extending the road corridor beyond what was previously announced. The state government, however, insists that the project is being executed within approved plans and that affected property owners will be duly compensated.
A visit to Sangote, a community in Omi Adio under Ido Local Government, revealed heightened fear and anxiety among residents whose homes have been marked for demolition.
Speaking with our correspondent, Mr. Uzor Odi, one of the affected landlords, described how government officials arrived in the community on November 1, marking houses within a 150-metre radius on both sides of the proposed corridor.
“The first day, they marked the houses. The second day, they came with bulldozers and demolished all foundations they met on the lands,” he said. “By the third day, they brought letters and forms for us to fill. My house is number 400 on the list of those affected here in Sangote, and there are still many more.”
Odi said the letter issued to residents stated that they had two weeks to move their structures, but officials on site instructed them not to remove any belongings.
“We were told not to move anything in our houses because valuers will come later to assess everything inside and compensate us accordingly,” he explained. “People with empty plots were told to stop building immediately.”
He added that the demolition exercise had caused serious distress within the community.
“The week they came, two people died out of shock and worry,” he claimed. “We are begging the government to have mercy on us. If we knew this was government land, we would never have bought it. There was nothing to indicate that the land belonged to government.”
The Oyo State Government has repeatedly stated that the Ibadan Circular Road is a long-term public infrastructure project requiring strict adherence to its approved right-of-way. Officials argue that the land acquisition dates back several years and that residents were aware of the risks of building along the corridor.
The Ministry of Lands and the project contractors have maintained that property owners with legitimate documents will be enumerated and compensated before any demolition of completed structures.
Governor Seyi Makinde recently stated that while the state would not halt the project, affected residents would not be treated unfairly. He, however, reiterated that he would not negotiate with protesters, insisting that the proper channels for communication and redress already exist within government agencies.
Meanwhile, demonstrations have continued across Ido, Akinyele, Ona Ara, Oluyole, Lagelu, and Egbeda Local Government Areas, with landlords accusing the state of shifting the original boundaries of the project and expanding the road corridor to areas not previously designated.
Protesters insist that the government earlier committed to a 150-metre setback, but they now fear a wider area is being cleared, putting more homes at risk. Several affected communities have called for an independent review of the corridor and the compensation process.
The Ibadan Circular Road, designed to ease traffic around the metropolitan area and boost economic activity, has been one of the state’s most ambitious infrastructure projects. However, the controversy surrounding its implementation has brought questions about transparency, compensation, and the human cost of development.
While the government maintains that the project is essential for the long-term growth of the state, landlords argue that they are unfairly bearing the brunt of that development.
As bulldozers continue to move from one community to another, residents like those in Sangote say their biggest fear is waking up one morning to find their homes gone with nowhere to go.
