- Safiu Kehinde
The Ogun State Government has on Tuesday arraigned the Olu of Obafemi in Obafemi Owode Local Government, Oba Taofeek Owolabi, over alleged land grabbing.
This was diclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the state’s Ministry of Justice.
According to the statement, Oba Owolabi, a coronet Oba and a member of the Egba Traditional Council, who is currently under suspension was taken to court for conspiracy to sell property without authority.
He was also accused of sale of property without authority, unlawful use of agents, forceful takeover of land, assault of a police officer, and obtaining by false pretence.
Oba Owolabi was further accused of laying an 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 monarch, according to the statement, however, failed to remit the sum to the landholding families.
Oba Owolabi was alleged to have placed thugs on the land, who macheted one individual, while personally attacking a police officer from the task force combating 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 State House of Assembly, choosing instead to file two suits in court, which the Ministry of Justice defended.
The statement continued: “Oba Owolabi withdrew those cases subsequently but never submitted 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 A. Gbadebo, CFR, 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 read.