The traditional ruler of Topo, a suburb of Badagry, Chief Oluwadami Avoseh, has appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to intervene and stop an expatriate from claiming Topo Island, their ancestral land.
Avoseh made the appeal during a press briefing organised by the kingdom on Thursday.
According to the ruler, the island is where we have our coconut island and it belonged to our forefathers.
He said: “The Island in question, was least out to the Catholic church sometimes in 18th century for a period of 90 years.
“There was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the our fathers and the missionaries which led to leasing of the island to them.
“Coconut tree was first planted in Topo Island by the Roman Catholic Missionaries in 1845.
“The least agreement expired many years back but surprisingly one expatriate, Satish Sterling was claiming to own the island.
“Since the least expired, we have not given the island to any person because it is now serving as our tourist attractions,” he said.
The traditional ruler called on Gov. Sanwo-Olu to call the expatriate to order and stop unnecessary claim.
“We have not sold the island to anyone, it still belongs to the people of Topo kingdom, we will not allow anyone to claim what belong to us.
“The Lagos State Government should call this man to order and allow peace to reign.”
