Fresh Controversies Over IHS’s Hazardous Mast In Ipetu-Ijesa

By Ismaeel Uthman

Fresh controversies have emerged on the hazardous mast erected by the IHS Towers at Obalende in Ipetu-Ijesa, Oriade Local Government of the State of Osun.

The ownership of the land on which the controversial mast station was erected is now contentious, following the allegation that it was fraudulently bought at N300, 000.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the actual owner of the parcel of land is not the one that sold it to IHS.

Some residents of the community who spoke with the medium under condition of anonymity on Wednesday said: “We can tell you that the land on which the mast was built was bought through fraudulent means. The owner of the land is not the one that sold it.

“And as a matter of fact, the woman that signed the land document was manipulated by the lawyer who sold the land. The woman did not know she signed for a different land which does not belong to her. The woman has land directly opposite the one hosting the IHS mast.

“They approached the woman that they wanted to buy her land and she agreed. But when the sale of land agreement was prepared by the lawyer, it was details of another land were contained in the document. The agreement was done for the land currently hosting the IHS mast which does not belong to the woman, but the woman did not know.

“That was how the lawyer fraudulently acquired the land and sold it to IHS again. The original owners of the land had refused to sell it; that was why they protested and are still protesting the erection of the IHS mast on the land.”

According to the residents, about six soldiers supervised the construction of the mast till completion stage.

Some residents of the community had last week told OSUN DEFENDER that armed soldiers supervised the construction of the mast station when they were protesting on it.

According to the residents, the service of the soldiers was allegedly enlisted by the IHS Towers, the company that erected the mast and a man they referred to as ‘lawyer’ who was accused of fraudulently selling the land to the company.

Mr. Rasidi Daramola, who resided in a house less than three metres to the mast station, told the medium that some landlords and other residents of the area objected to the construction of the tower because of its health hazard on the people.

Daramola stated that he and his sister, Ms Funke Daramola and some other residents of the area attempted to stop the construction of the mast by appealing to workers on the site to consider the health implication of the tower on the people.