Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
AKURE, Nigeria – An Ondo State Magistrate Court sitting in Oke‑Eda, Akure, has ordered the remand of three persons in prison custody following their arraignment on charges of alleged land grabbing and illegal property transactions. The defendants – High Chief Lateef Adelusi, Pastor Akintola Alaba, and Surveyor Adebiyi Olanibi – were brought before the court on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, on allegations bordering on encroachment on another person’s land, unlawful takeover of property belonging to Mr. Akinnusi Folorunsho and others, and the illegal sale of landed property belonging to the Ojumu family.
The charges were brought under the Ondo State Anti-Land Grabbing and Property Protection Law, which the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has recently vowed to enforce stringently. In a statement issued shortly after the arraignment, the state Attorney‑General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo (SAN), who also chairs the Ondo State Task Force on Property Protection and Anti-Land Grabbing, confirmed the prosecution and described it as part of a broader, uncompromising crackdown on land‑related crimes across the state.
“This is only one phase of our assignment under the Anti-Land Grabbing and Property Protection Law. As you can see, the law respects no one. When a surveyor, who is expected to be a custodian of land documentation, finds himself on the wrong side of the law, it signals the seriousness of our enforcement,” Ajulo said. “We will continue to act within the law, but we will not retreat.”
The Attorney‑General expressed particular dismay that a licensed surveyor, whose professional duty is to safeguard land records and boundary integrity, was among those facing prosecution. He also lamented that even official government assets were being targeted by illegal land dealers. “I am deeply shocked that some government houses, which are already insufficient to meet the needs of the government, are being sold illegally. As though that were not enough, even critical government assets are being targeted under dubious schemes. Fortunately, we have been able to halt some of these transactions,” Ajulo disclosed.
The Attorney‑General warned that the government is currently conducting audits of public lands and properties that have been encroached upon across the state, and that further enforcement actions, including mass prosecutions and physical recovery of illegally occupied lands, would follow. He urged persons currently occupying public land without valid approvals to either regularise their occupancy where possible or voluntarily vacate such properties before enforcement operations commence. “The era of impunity is over,” Ajulo declared.
The arraignment was the first high‑profile prosecution since Governor Aiyedatiwa declared a “total war” against land grabbing, inaugurated a specialized Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force, and pledged to restore order to the state’s chaotic land‑administration system. The governor has also backed a whistle‑blower policy designed to reward citizens who provide credible information leading to the recovery of illegally acquired government lands.
The court ordered that the three defendants be remanded in prison custody pending further hearing. Their lawyers did not immediately comment on the charges. The case has been adjourned to a later date for trial. Officials of the state’s task force have said that dozens of other suspects are still under investigation and that the current prosecutions are only “phase one” of a sustained offensive against land grabbing.
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