September 23, (THEWILL) — The Ogun State Government has filed criminal charges against two traditional rulers and several others over alleged acts of land grabbing across the state.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN), said the government is prosecuting cases of forceful takeover of land and unlawful entry against Oba Fatai Matanmi, the Onijoko of Ijoko Ota, and Oba Yusuf Olasunkanmi, the Olu of Orile-Igbon in Igbesa, as well as other individuals.
According to the statement, Oba Matanmi is facing trial in case HCT/84R/2025 after investigations revealed that he sold a parcel of land to Madam Irokosu in 1976 for N22,000.
Irokosu, who later sold the land to a complainant in 2016, had fenced and occupied the property before her death.
However, Oba Matanmi allegedly began harassing the new owner, claiming that Irokosu owed him N28,000.
Despite the claim being baseless, the complainant reportedly paid N5 million to the monarch to avoid conflict, but the harassment continued, prompting the charges.
Similarly, Oba Olasunkanmi is accused of unlawfully appropriating land belonging to a complainant and others by exploiting a judgment obtained against unrelated third parties.
He allegedly extended enforcement of the judgment over lands more than one kilometre away from the disputed property and evicted legitimate occupants. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, September 25, 2025.
The state also filed charges against Chief Lekan Agbogun and Chief Akinbowale Beckley for allegedly selling a complainant’s property in the Mosafejo area of Abeokuta to an overseas buyer without authorisation, valid title, or documents, despite an existing building on the land.
Ogungbade stressed that while the defendants remain innocent until proven guilty, the prosecutions demonstrate the government’s resolve to combat land grabbing and illegal land transactions.
“No matter the personalities involved, once the facts warrant and public interest demands, the state will resist and redress all land grabbing actions that come to its notice,” he said.
Seun Shotunde, THEWILL
