The House is on Number 1 Beula Street, Off Matogun Road, Oke Aro, Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun State. It has a black gate and a brown fence. What distinguishes the building from adjacent ones is the presence of some men in military combat gear who sit behind green bags that could withstand bullets because they are filled with sand -like those ones seen at the gate of Ikeja military cantonment. It houses a company called Qnet Infinity Millenniel, owned by Mr. Ogaga Christopher, that claims to deal in drugs, items of jewellery, education and consumer products.
The trouble is that with the number of young people doing military drills behind the fence, the community is jittery!
One of the leaders told TheNEWS: “It is no longer a secret that a group of young men numbering more than 100, mostly in paramilitary outfit / camouflage have taken over the landscape of our community in the last six months. It is absolutely imperative to note that this group of young men are from a particular region of South-east as their official language is Igbo with their apartment fully guarded against non-members. They always hold parades and that, more often then not attack passersby.”
He went further: “However, it was not that the community was cowardly or expressed any apathy but the Area Community Development Committe (CDC) via the group of Community Development Associations (CDAs) were brought into the picture.”
True. On 30 September 2021, the community wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police at Eleweran, Abeokuta, about the activities of Qnet Infinity Millenniel of Nigeria at Ona Ara CDA.
The community invited the representatives of the “company” to explain the nature of what they do. They claimed they were into online business “dealing in drugs, items of jewellery, education and consumer products.” The company’s representative brought a letter from his lawyer indicating the nature of the business but the CDA argued that the “Corporate Affairs Corporation (CAC) registration was not indicated.”
The CDA lamented that the presence of the group of people was creating security risk for the community because there is “no evidence of buying and selling in the building which they rented.”
The owner of the house, through her lawyer, Florence Fashina and Co, wrote a letter to the owner of the company, Mr. Ogaga Christopher, giving him three months notice. Although the rent is to expire December, the house owner, Mrs Florence Fashina, said she was willing to “refund to you the rent for six months.”
Christopher and his gang did not move!
With these, the Police raided the premises on 5 September 2021. The people, according to the CDA, “went undeground for one week but they have regrouped with more youths.”
Another landlord told this magazine: “The Police from Agbado were involved and recently we heard some arrests were made from Eleweran Police Command (HQ), Abeokuta but those arrested were released and thus, we now see a full display of lawlessness”
A different resident of the community expresses the fear they have as follows:
· We do not know as a community the kind of work or service the outfit renders;
· Our safety is not guaranteed as these men could rise against the armless community members even without provocation;
· The community could be held for aiding and abetting as we can not vouch for them even as host community;
· The property owner had issued quit notice which the outfit ignored;
· The outfit might have secured the nod of some powerful individuals as police have not been able to do anything about their case.
A woman who lives and has a house in the area also submitted: “Now, a situation where the country is going through insurgency, banditry, political agitation of different kinds and kidnapping, we can’t fold out hands and allow this gross impunity in our community.
Government should investigate the outfit on the services that it renders and its mode of operation in order to avoid the imminent break down of law and order. The community has enjoyed several years of peace and order and this remains out best option.
A stitch? In time serves nine!”
See the letters from the lawyer and the community below:.
