The Magistrate Court sitting in Oke Eda, Akure, has remanded a traditional ruler and two others over alleged fraudulent land transactions involving the resale of about 750 plots of land earlier allocated to a company for development purposes.
The defendants, Oba David Okunato, the traditional ruler of Osi community in Akure North council area, Tifase Folasade, and Nwaigbue Chijioke, alongside others said to be at large, were arraigned before the court as part of the Ondo State Government’s ongoing crackdown on land grabbing and illegal land dealings.
According to the allegations, the embattled monarch initially sold about 750 plots of land to a company for developmental purposes but allegedly went ahead to resell portions of the same land to multiple individuals.
Trouble reportedly started when the company later returned to commence development on the land and discovered that several other persons had laid claim to parts of the property based on fresh allocations allegedly made by the monarch.
The development reportedly triggered serious disputes, forcing the matter to be taken back to the traditional ruler for clarification.
It was further alleged that the monarch later agreed to allocate another parcel of land to the company as compensation, but allegedly sold the same land to another buyer, further escalating the controversy.
The court subsequently remanded the defendants at the Olokuta Correctional Centre in Akure pending the perfection of their bail conditions.
The defendants were, however, granted bail in the sum of N2 million each, with one surety who must be a recognised traditional ruler within the court’s magisterial district and another being a Level 14 officer resident within the Akure Magisterial District.
Reacting to the development, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, as well as Chairman of the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo SAN, OON, said the state government would sustain its crackdown on land grabbers until sanity is restored to land administration across the state.
He warned that individuals involved in illegal land transactions, forceful takeover of property, and fraudulent resale of land would face the full weight of the law.
“I must tell you that the issue of land grabbing is capable of driving away investors, especially those who genuinely intend to invest in Ondo State.
“We cannot fold our arms and allow criminal elements to destroy the investment climate and peaceful coexistence in our dear State.
“We are sending a strong and unmistakable message across Ondo State that the era of impunity in land dealings will no longer be tolerated, irrespective of status or influence.
“We are determined to restore confidence in land transactions in Ondo State and reinforce public trust in the government’s commitment to securing lives, investments, and property rights.
“The message remains loud and unmistakable, the crackdown is active, uncompromising, and again, the law is a respecter of no one.
“Anyone found culpable will bear the full weight of the law,” Ajulo declared.