The Ogun State Government has initiated criminal proceedings against two traditional rulers and several other individuals concerning alleged incidents of land grabbing throughout the state.
This information was revealed in a statement released by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN.
As per the statement, one of the traditional leaders, Oba Fatai Matanmi, the Onijoko of Ijoko Ota, is facing accusations of unlawful land takeover and forcible entry. Investigations have shown that the monarch sold a piece of land in 1976 for ₦22,000 to the late Madam Irokosu, who subsequently fenced the property and, in 2016, sold it to the complainant.
The government further claimed that after Madam Irokosu’s passing, Oba Matanmi allegedly began to intimidate the new owner, asserting that the deceased owed him a balance of ₦28,000. Even though the complainant paid the monarch ₦5 million “to maintain peace,” the harassment reportedly persisted, leading the state to file charges under suit number HCT/84R/2025, The State v. Oba Fatai Matanmi.
In a similar case, Oba Yusuf Olasunkanmi, the Olu of Orile-Igbon in the Igbesa area, is accused of using intermediaries to forcibly take over land and unlawfully displace rightful occupants. The monarch allegedly relied on a court judgment against unrelated third parties, extending enforcement to lands over one kilometre away from the judgment site. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, September 25, 2025.
The statement further disclosed that Chief Lekan Agbogun and Chief Akinbowale Beckley were also charged for allegedly conniving to sell a complainant’s property in the Mosafejo area of Abeokuta to an overseas buyer, despite the presence of an existing building on the land and without legal authority or documentation.
Ogungbade stressed that while the defendants remain presumed innocent until proven guilty, the state is determined to stamp out land grabbing.
“No matter the personalities involved, where the facts warrant and it is in the public interest, the State will resist and redress all land grabbing actions brought to its notice,” he said.
