The Ogun State Government has filed criminal charges against two traditional rulers and several individuals for alleged involvement in land grabbing across the state.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN.
According to the statement, one of the monarchs, Oba Fatai Matanmi, the Onijoko of Ijoko Ota, is facing charges of unlawful takeover and forcible entry of land.
Investigations revealed that the monarch sold a parcel of land in 1976 for ₦22,000 to the late Madam Irokosu, who fenced the property and, in 2016, resold it to the complainant.
The government alleged that after Madam Irokosu’s death, Oba Matanmi began harassing the new owner, claiming that the deceased owed him a ₦28,000 balance.
Despite the complainant paying ₦5 million “to let peace reign,” the harassment reportedly continued, prompting the state to file charges under suit number HCT/84R/2025, The State v. Oba Fatai Matanmi.
In a related 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, 25 September 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 proper legal authority or documentation.
Ogungbade stressed that while the defendants remain presumed innocent until proven guilty, the state government is determined to curb land grabbing in Ogun.
“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,” the commissioner stated.
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