Land grabbing: Ogun govt arraigns monarch

The suspended Olu of Obafemi Owode, Oba Taofeek Owolabi, has been arraigned by the Ogun State Government over the unlawful claim of over 500 acres of land within the Obafemi Owode community.

This was part of the commitment of the government to fighting land grabbing in the State, as indicated in a statement issued by the Ministry of Justice.

The charges leveled against him were conspiracy to sell property without authority; unlawful use of agents; forceful take over of land; assault of a police officer, and obtaining by false pretence.

According to the statement, which affirmed the monarch’s presumption of innocence, Oba Owolabi is accused of laying unlawful claim to 500 acres of land within Obafemi Owode town and deceiving a developer, one Dr Michael Adeyemi, into paying him ₦75 million for the land.

The statement added, however, that Oba Owolabi never remitted the sun to the landholding families, adding that the traditional ruler also placed thugs on the land, who macheted one individual, while he personally attacked a police officer from the taskforce combatting land-grabbing in Ogun State.

The statement added that the Ogun State Government took several steps to call Oba Owolabi to order, saying that he ignored a July 2024 summons by the Ogun State House of Assembly, choosing instead to file two suits in court, which the Ministry of Justice defended.

The statement was: “Oba Owolabi withdrew those cases subsequently but never submitted them to the House’s investigations. The House Committee would eventually recommend that Oba Owolabi should be prosecuted for land grabbing.

“Under the leadership of the paramount ruler of Egbaland HRM Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, the Alake of Egbaland, the Egba Traditional Council summoned Oba Owolabi several times but Oba Owolabi defied those invitations.

“The Ethical Committee of the Egba Traditional Council also engaged Oba Owolabi to no avail. Thus, on 13 December 2024, the Egba Traditional Council suspended Oba Owolabi from his office as Olu Obafemi, for conducting himself in a manner entirely unexpected of a traditional ruler. That suspension is still in effect.

The statement indicated that although Oba Owolabi perfected his bail conditions, his trial remains ongoing, while the Ogun State Government remains committed to seeing justice done.

“We would like to assure all members of the public to keep faith with our efforts to restore sanity to land administration in Ogun State and to draw confidence from our resolve to prosecute Oba Owolabi.

“As long as it is in our power to do so, we will resist all land grabbers no matter how highly placed they appear to be,” the statement said.

READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE