A 96-year-old widow from Kwara State, Hajia Saadatu MamaDelo Belukor, has appealed to Kwara State Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, to ensure payment for parcels of land, which she claims belonged to her, but was acquired by the government.

The nonagenarian said since the landed properties, which she claims to have inherited from her father, the late Alhaji Bello Belukor, the 8th Balogun of Alanamu of Ilorin, were allegedly acquired by the government, life has become difficult for her.

She lamented that lack of compensation for the said land has made her life traumatic, as she is unable to foot her daily bills, including feeding, housing, clothing and medicals.
According to her, she had made concerted efforts to reach out to the government, but all had not yielded the desired results. She listed the acquired parcels of land to include:

Eiyenkorin-Okolowo in Asa and Ilorin South Local Councils respectively; Babanla in Ifelodun Local Council for the establishment of sugar and ethanol companies; Olufadi in Ilorin South Local Council for the establishment of a medical centre; acres of land for farming and animal husbandry in Moro, Ilorin West Local Council; 100 acres of land for farming and animal husbandry in Moro, Ilorin West Local Council, among others.

She said: “I have made several efforts by visiting Kwara State Bureau of Lands, Kwara State Geographic Information Service for payment of compensation without success by the above-mentioned offices or Kwara State government.”

Responding, Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Legal Matters, Ambassador Sambo Muritala, said other people have substantial ownership evidence of the land Hajia Saadatu Belukor claims to be hers.

Muritala said: “I had earlier met the woman before this government and I told her that she has nothing reasonable to back up her ownership claim of almost one-fifth of Ilorin because her late father was a Balogun in Ilorin. People who have strong evidence on the places she is laying claims have came out to back their ownership as against hers.

“As a true Ilorin woman, she should understand the concept of Ilorin emirate enough to say she is coming to claim the land after over a hundred years.

“I advised her to get a knowledgeable lawyer who will educate her on the weakness of her story as no court will substantiate her case. The case can just be likened to Oduduwa’s son coming from nowhere to lay claim to the entire Western Region.”