Concerned landowners, farmers and community stakeholders in Ilaro, Ogun State, have raised the alarm over alleged escalating land-grabbing activities, the purported violation of a subsisting court order and attempts to divert investigations into a long-running land dispute.
The concerns of the aggrieved landowners were contained in a statement signed by Olusegun Olurin on behalf of concerned citizens of Iweke, Idode, Koto-Obo and Ilobi-Omuwa.
The stakeholders alleged that individuals they described as Ajagungbales recently invaded an established agricultural property despite a restraining order issued by the Egbado South Grade 1 Customary Court on March 30, 2026.
The order, issued by a panel presided over by Hon. F. I. Sodimu, reportedly restrained parties from tampering with, destroying or otherwise interfering with economic trees and developments on the disputed property pending the determination of the case.
However, the landowners alleged that the order had been breached, claiming that heavy machinery was deployed to the property to clear portions of the farmland.
They specifically alleged that a bulldozer was used to destroy newly planted Gmelina trees.
According to the stakeholders, one person was arrested by security operatives at the scene, although they alleged that individuals they believe were behind the operation have yet to face prosecution.
The latest development, they said, has heightened concerns over the protection of agricultural investments and respect for judicial authority in the area.
The landowners also alleged that, rather than allowing the substantive land dispute to be resolved through the judicial process, a series of counter-petitions containing what they described as fabricated and diversionary allegations had been submitted to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Eleweran.
They cited allegations involving the alleged stealing of cement, brandishing of weapons and smoking of Indian hemp, maintaining that such claims were intended to divert attention from the alleged destruction of the farmland and turn those asserting their legal rights over the property into suspects.
The stakeholders described the development as an attempt to frustrate investigation and create room for continued encroachment on the disputed property.
They further alleged that more than 70 acres of the farm had already been cleared or otherwise affected by the activities of what they described as a land-grabbing syndicate.
Mr. Gbenga Adegboye, legal representative of the landowners, described the development as a serious challenge to the rule of law.
“This is an unmitigated assault on the rule of law, judicial authority and private enterprise,” he said.
Adegboye called for an impartial investigation and strict compliance with the subsisting court order.
Following concerns over the handling of the matter at the state level, the landowners said the case had been escalated to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2.
According to them, the AIG had issued an administrative directive for the immediate transfer and centralisation of the relevant case files.
The stakeholders therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Police Service Commission to ensure that the directive was fully implemented and that the investigation was handled by officers whose impartiality could not reasonably be questioned.
They also urged the police authorities to investigate all allegations on their merits and ensure that no party to the land dispute was subjected to harassment through what they described as frivolous or retaliatory petitions.
The stakeholders said the current dispute should also be viewed against the background of earlier allegations of land-grabbing attacks in parts of Ilaro and Yewa South.
In September 2025, farmers and residents of Iweke, Idode, Koto-Obo, Ilobi-Omuwa and Ileba petitioned the Ogun State Government over alleged attacks and encroachment on their farmlands.
They accused suspected land grabbers of destroying crops and livestock and intimidating farmers, while claiming that some families had cultivated the disputed areas for more than 150 years.
The 2025 crisis attracted public attention and intervention, with the Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Gbadewole Olugbenle, identified in contemporary reports as having intervened in efforts to restore peace.
Community stakeholders now fear that a recurrence of such incidents could undermine agricultural production, discourage investment and threaten the peace of farming communities across Yewaland.
They also alleged that the same network of individuals implicated in the earlier disturbances was connected to the present dispute, stressing that the allegation remains subject to investigation.
The concerned farmers and citizens have appealed to the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, to intervene in support of the affected farming communities.
They urged the senator to use his position to support lawful efforts aimed at protecting farmers, agricultural investments and peaceful communities across Ogun West.
The stakeholders also commended the efforts of Oba Olugbenle, whom they said had continued to work towards resolving the crisis and ensuring that those responsible for alleged acts of violence and unlawful land-grabbing were brought before the appropriate authorities.
They stressed, however, that traditional intervention must be complemented by firm enforcement of the law.
The stakeholders called on the Ogun State Government, the Nigeria Police Force, the judiciary and other relevant institutions to ensure that the dispute was resolved strictly in accordance with the law.
They said agricultural investors must be able to cultivate their farms without fear of intimidation, while competing claims to land should be determined through competent legal and traditional institutions rather than through force, intimidation or competing police petitions.
They further appealed to the police authorities to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and ensure that no individual or group was allowed to use the criminal justice system to settle what they described as fundamentally a land dispute.
For the affected farmers and landowners, they said, the issue goes beyond a single parcel of land, arguing that the protection of property rights, respect for court orders and security of agricultural investments are essential to preserving peace, encouraging investment and safeguarding the future of farming communities in Yewaland.
They therefore called for the immediate enforcement of the subsisting court order, an impartial investigation into all complaints arising from the dispute, and the prosecution of any person found, after due investigation and trial, to have violated the law.
