I Ignored Omonile Threats… and They Demolished My Fence

I thought they were bluffing.

It was just a few young men who showed up one afternoon while my boys were digging the foundation. “This land belongs to our family,” they said. “You can’t build here unless you settle us.”

But I had my deed of assignment, survey, and even a receipt. I paid through an agent who said everything was clean. I wasn’t new to land buying, so I assumed these “omonile” were just hustlers looking for quick money.

I told them to go to court if they had a problem. I didn’t argue. I just continued with my work.

Big mistake.

The First Warning

Two weeks later, I got a call from my site engineer:
“Oga, dem don show again o. Them say make we stop work.”

I told him to ignore them. I reminded him we had legal documents. But he said something that made me pause:
“They came with elders this time. And they mentioned a shrine.”

The Attack

Three days later, on a Sunday morning, I got another call. This time it wasn’t a warning.

“Oga, come to site now. They’ve broken everything.”

When I got there, my jaw dropped.

The fence — completely demolished. Blocks, rods, even the iron gate I installed — gone. They didn’t just destroy it; they disgraced it. They left palm fronds, poured ashes, and posted warnings on planks: “Trespassers will face the gods.”

The Cost of Pride

That fence cost me over ₦1.2 million.
And I still had to settle the omonile — ₦350,000 just to be allowed to resume work. I also had to re-build, re-buy materials, and re-hire laborers. I lost money, time, and peace of mind.

See>>>

• My Best Friend Sold Me Fake Land — No Document No refund. Just pain.
• He Built Without a Survey and Now He’s in Court: A Costly Real Estate Mistake
• My Wife Warned Me — I Ignored Her and Got Scammed

The Lesson

I had documents, yes. But I didn’t verify from the true land-owning family.

In many parts of Lagos, Ogun, and Anambra, land may be sold by someone with papers — but local families or community heads still want their “settlement.” It’s wrong, but it’s the reality.

Here’s what I should have done:

• Asked for family consent letters

• Verified with the community land committee

• Insisted on traditional witnesses signing my documents

• Paid a token to avoid trouble

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Final Word

Don’t let pride or papers blind you.
In Nigeria, documents protect you in court, but “settlement” protects your land in real life.

Don’t learn the hard way like I did.