Ebunoluwa, who now sleeps in a kiosk near the popular Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) (Agbala Itura) at Ile Epo bus stop along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, said her home was demolished while she was not around.
A 77-year-old retired teacher, Lydia Ebunoluwa, says she is homeless after losing her home to unlawful demolition.
Ebunoluwa, who now sleeps in a kiosk near the popular Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) (Agbala Itura) at Ile Epo bus stop along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, said her home was demolished while she was not around.
In an interview with The Nation, the native of Efon Alaaye, Ekiti State said she got a notice from a local government demanding her to demolish her home within 48 hours for violating building setback regulations.
She claimed her home was not built close to the road.
Ebunoluwa, however, said the concerned council authorities denied sending any notice to her, noting that land-grabbers might have forged the said notice to intimidate her.
She said she suspected the land-grabbers were conniving with some state officials, adding that she had made several entreaties to the police to save the situation but to no avail.
She said: "My traducers had been disturbing and harassing me to the extent that they stopped me from finishing work on a soak-away facility I was constructing in my house.
"When I was alerted to the unlawful demolition on November 29, 2018, I quickly rushed home only to discover the building had been pulled down without caterpillar (bulldozer). I also saw the hoodlums who carried out the demolition drinking and rejoicing in front of my property.
"I reported the matter to the police at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) at Panti, Yaba, Lagos and some suspects were arrested but they have since been released.
"Since then, they have not been able to come back to the property while I cannot also live in the house because it has been destroyed and reduced to rubble.
"I worked for 28 years as a teacher in various schools in Agege Local Government Area. I retired in 1995 at Orile Agege Primary School with N13,000 monthly pension that is not enough to take care of my needs. I had been taking care of myself from the rent I collected from my tenants until the house was demolished. I want justice, so my house can be reconstructed by the same people who attempted to annex it by force."
The septuagenarian who has since resorted to selling pure (sachet) water in front of her wooden shelter said her two surviving children had no job and lacked the means to get better accommodation for her.
She added, "Life has been very unfair to me. I lost the only building I spent my retirement benefits to build. I was collecting rent from the house until it was pulled down by some lawless land grabbers. As you can see I sit here all day selling pure (sachet) water to passers-by to eke a living."