In Ibadan, like other major towns in Yoruba-speaking states, there is fear, there is suffering among land owners who struggle to buy plots of land for their use. This class of people are under the siege of organised gangs of landgrabbers who operate like typical criminals and disposess harmless land owners of their property, allegedly in conspiracy with law enforcement agents, occasionally traditional rulers and their chiefs.
This culture is among those the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja intends to eradicate using his stool as an instrument to achieve that objective. Since his installation in 2025, Oba Ladoja has not pretended on his hard stand against landgrabbers with strong warning that he would not fold his arm and watch them turning his vast domain to a land of anarchy.
He continued this journey last Wednesday when he received the report of Niyi Akintola anti-landgrabbing committee at his Palace and contended that the recommendation is do-able.
The monarch said the proposed legal framework would entail passing of bye-laws by local government councillors, in accordance with the Land use act to spell out the creation of special tribunals that would give accelerated hearing to cases of landgrabbing in Ibadan, and specify sanctions.
“We have come to a situation where suspected landgrabbers should know that enough is enough. We were investigating a land matter in this palace last week. Somebody brought what he called a 1912 Supreme Court judgement to say that the land at Alapa to Maamu, Oluyole Local Govt belonged to his family. And we told him that the Northern and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated in 1914. Your court judgement predates Nigeria. Therefore, it is fake.1912 to 2025 is over 100 years. A lawyer amongst us was asking him if he didnt know that it is wrong to seek to implement court judgement after 10 years it was delivered. Same thing with fake survey plans and funny, funny petitions.
“How can somebody living in Ibadan sell off some people’s land in Ibadan and use an address in Osogbo to petition the Police Inspector General in Abuja to allege threat to life, gun running, terrorism. I think there should be a punishment against fake petitioners,” he said.
According to the Olubadan, the tremendous amount of public interest generated by the committee made the composition of the proposed tribunals with men and women of proven integrity imperative. Oba Ladoja said it is difficult to estimate the amount of damage done to Ibadan investment climate as a result of perrenial cases of landgrabbing.
At the report presentation witnessed by Oba Tajudeen Ajibola, Balogun of Ibadanland; Oba Kola Adegbola, Otun Balogun; Oba Abiodun Kola-Daisi, Osi Olubadan and Oba Abiodun Azeez Agagagugu, Asipa Balogun, the Olubadan also promised to take drastic action against Mogajis, Baales and other chiefs implicated in land grabbing cases, Oba Ladoja commended the Committee members for their competence and integrity, saying “Ibadan is collectively proud of you and grateful”.
Apart from the chairman, other committee members who received royal commendation include Barr Yinka Okunade, Barr Akeem Aponmode, Barr. Tunji Thomas and Barr. Abiodun AbdulRaheem.
Earlier, the chairman, Chief Akintola SAN said the Committee received 179 memoranda, with 25 or 26 others with the Palace Secretary. He described landgrabbers as cabals with extensive network of connection with vital organs of Government and extra-ministerial Departments.
“This was why we engaged the State Government, Local Government Chairmen, Police, lawyers, judges, town planners, surveyors, Ministry of Lands, estate developers, Baales, Mogajis etc.Your Imperial Majesty, we don’t want to pronounce judgement but the system stinks”.
Barr Akintola said memoranda from outside Ibadan have, however, been returned to the sender because Ibadan is our coverage area.
Published on April 4, 2026
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