ABEOKUTA – The Ogun State Government has initiated criminal proceedings against two traditional rulers and two other individuals as part of a significant escalation in its campaign against land grabbing and illegal property dealings within the state.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Justice, the defendants are accused of various crimes, including forceful takeover of land, forcible entry, and fraud.
The cases highlight the state’s resolve to confront powerful figures implicated in land disputes. One of the cases, HCT/84R/2025 The State v. Oba Fatai Matanmi, involves the Onijoko of Ijoko Ota, Oba Fatai Matanmi. The government alleges that Oba Matanmi harassed a landowner over a disputed debt related to a transaction from 1976. Investigations revealed that after the current owner purchased the land in 2016 from the original buyer, the late Madam Irokosu, Oba Matanmi allegedly demanded payment for an alleged outstanding balance of ₦28,000. Despite the complainant paying ₦5 million to “let peace reign,” the monarch reportedly continued the harassment, leading to the criminal charges.
In a separate case, HCT/77R/2025 The State v. Oba Yusuf Olasunkanmi, the Olu of Orile-Igbon in the Igbesa area, Oba Yusuf Olasunkanmi, faces charges of securing entry into land by violence. The government alleges the monarch used intermediaries to unlawfully appropriate land belonging to multiple persons. He is accused of misusing a court judgment obtained against third parties to annex and enforce control over lands more than a kilometre away from the original judgment area, subsequently chasing away the legitimate occupants. Oba Olasunkanmi is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, September 25, 2025.
Additionally, charges have been filed against Chiefs Lekan Agbogun and Akinbowale Beckley for allegedly selling a property in the Mosafejo area of Abeokuta without authorisation. The duo is accused of conspiring to sell a third party’s land, which already had an existing building, to an overseas buyer, despite having no legal claim or title documents to the property.
In the statement, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN, emphasised that while the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, the filings demonstrate the government’s commitment to tackling land grabbing.
“The State Government 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,” Ogungbade stated.
The move signals a firm stance by the state administration against powerful individuals accused of exploiting land ownership for personal gain.
