A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Akure has remanded the Obaloja of Oba-Ile, Chief Olusola Michael Aderounmu, at the Olokuta Correctional Centre, over allegations of forcefully taking possession of a disputed farmland and destroying economic crops in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The disputed property was said to have belonged to the late Chief Daniel Fabomi, the Ajana of Eleyewo, who reportedly sold the land in 2014 before his death.

According to the charge filed by the Principal Legal Officer in the Ondo State Ministry of Justice, Mr O.E. Akintan, the defendant and others still at large allegedly trespassed on the land, destroyed fences and crops, and used thugs to dispossess the rightful owner despite being aware that the property had been lawfully sold.

Part of the charge reads: “That you, Chief Aderounmu Olusola, and others at large, sometime in 2025, within the Akure Magisterial District, at Block B, Plots 1 to 11, and Block E, Plots 1 to 4, Sao Family Layout Phase II, along Oke-Oge Road, Eleyewo, Akure North Local Government Area, did threaten to forcefully take over the landed property of one Abiodun Samuel Idowu, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 4(4) and punishable under Section 4(4)(a) of the Ondo State Properties Protection and Documentation Law, 2024.”

Another count alleged that Aderounmu and others at large forcefully took possession of the same property, contrary to Section 3 and punishable under Section 3(3) of the Ondo State Properties Protection and Documentation Law, 2024.

The prosecution told the court that the defendant’s actions were capable of disturbing public peace, undermining lawful ownership of property, and creating insecurity around land transactions in the state.

It further alleged that Aderounmu repeatedly ignored invitations issued by the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force since May 2026, claiming he went Into hiding and offered excuses to evade investigation.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The court subsequently granted him bail in the sum of ₦2 million with two sureties.

One of the sureties must be a Level 10 civil servant with a letter of appointment, while the second must be a landowner. Both are required to present current tax clearance certificates and undergo verification by the court registrar.

The magistrate also directed the defendant to submit affidavit evidence and relevant title documents presented by the sureties. Pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions, Aderounmu was remanded at the Olokuta Correctional Centre.

Reacting to the development, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Olukayode Ajulo, who also chairs the Ondo State Task Force on Property Protection and Anti-Land Grabbing, cautioned residents against taking the law into their own hands in resolving land disputes.

He said, “Those who choose the path of lawlessness will face the full weight of the law.”

Ajulo reaffirmed the commitment of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration to ensuring that land disputes are resolved through lawful means, warning that forceful entry, illegal occupation of land, intimidation, and other forms of land grabbing would continue to attract criminal prosecution.

According to him, the establishment of the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force was aimed at providing residents with a credible avenue for seeking redress while discouraging self-help, a practice he said often fuels violence, insecurity and prolonged communal disputes. (Daily Trust)

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