Land grabbing: Ogun drags Obas, 2 others to court

The Ogun State Government has arraigned two traditional rulers, Oba Fatai Matanmi, the Onijoko of Ijoko Ota and Oba Yusuf Olasunkanmi, the Olu of Orile-Igbon, as well as two other persons, before a State High Court sitting in Abeokuta over allegations of land grabbing and related offences.

The State Government accused the monarchs and the other accused persons of forcefully taking over and forcibly entering lands belonging to other persons contrary to laws against land grabbing in the state.

A statement signed by the Attorney-General & Hon. Commissioner for Justice in Ogun State, Oluwasina Ogungbade, (SAN) said while these defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, the State has filed these charges as a further demonstration of the State’s commitment to tackle land grabbing and criminal dealings regarding land.

Facts presented before the court revealed that Oba Matanmi had in 1976 sold a parcel of land for N22,000 to one Madam Irokosu, now late. Before her demise, Madam Irokosu fenced the land and later sold the same in 2016 to the complainant who immediately took possession after which Madam Irokosu died.

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Following her demise, Oba Matanmi allegedly started harassing the complainant claiming that late Madam Irokosu owed him a balance of 28,000. In search of peace, the complainant paid N5,000,000 to Oba Matanmi.

In spite of the payment, the complainant alleged that Oba Matami continued to harass him, leading to the charges filed in HCT/84R/2025 The State v. Oba Fatai Matanmi.

Similarly, Oba Olasunkanmi was accused of securing entry into land by violence in the Igbesa area of Ogun State. Oba Olasunkanmi, using intermediaries, unlawfully appropriated land belonging to the complainant and many other persons.

Hiding under the cover of a judgment obtained against third parties, Oba Olasunkanmi allegedly commissioned the attachment of land and enforcement of the judgment in areas more than one kilometre away from the subject of the judgment, chasing away the legitimate occupants of the said land.

Oba Olasunkanmi will be arraigned on Thursday 25 September 2025.
Further, the State has also filed charges against another two persons, Chief Lekan Agbogun and Chief Akinbowale Beckley, who sold a complainant’s property in Mosafejo area of Abeokuta, without authority. These persons connived and sold a third party’s property to a buyer overseas notwithstanding that they had no title claim or documents to the land and despite the presence of the complainant’s existing building on the land.

Confirming the prosecution of the traditional rulers and the other accused persons, Ogungbade assures the public that no matter the personalities involved, where the facts warrant and it is in the public interest to do so, the State will resist and redress all land grabbing actions that come to its notice.