The Ogun State Government has arraigned the controversial traditional ruler of Obafemi town located in Obafemi-Owode local government area, Oba Taofeek Kayode Owolabi, for land grabbing.
Penpushing reports that the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Lekan Adeniran made this known in a statement which was made available to journalist explaining that the coronet monarch was arraigned on Tuesday before the court
The statement added that the Ministry of Justice, noted that Owolabi, a member of the Egba Traditional Council and currently under suspension was taken to court for conspiracy to sell property without authority, sale of property without authority, unlawful use of agents, forceful takeover of land, assault of a police officer, and obtaining by false pretence.
Penpushing further reports that Adeniran added that Owolabi is 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 statement added that the traditional who earlier claimed innocence, however, never remitted the sum to the landholding families, rather, placed thugs on the land, who macheted one individual, while he personally attacked a police officer from the task force combating land grabbing in Ogun State.
Penpushing also reports that the Ogun State Government took several steps to call Owolabi to order, but 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.
“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’, the statement reads.
“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.”
Penpushing reports that the statement indicated that although 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 said.
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