The Ondo State Government has tightened its crackdown on land grabbing after a magistrate court in Akure remanded a traditional ruler and two others for alleged fraudulent land deals.
Oba David Okunato, the Oba of Osi Community in Akure North LGA, along with Tifase Folasade and Nwaigbue Chijioke, was arraigned Thursday before the Magistrate Court in Oke Eda.
Others remain at large.
According to the prosecution, Oba Okunato initially sold about 750 plots to a company for development.
He later allegedly resold portions of the same land to multiple individuals.
When the company returned to begin work, it met others laying claim to the land based on fresh allocations from the monarch.
The dispute forced the matter back to the traditional ruler, who allegedly promised another parcel as compensation — then sold that parcel to a different buyer.
The court remanded the defendants at Olokuta Correctional Centre pending bail.
Each was granted bail at ₦2 million with two sureties: one must be a recognised traditional ruler within the Akure Magisterial District, and the other a Level 14 civil servant resident in the district.
Attorney-General and Chairman of the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo SAN, said the government would not relent until land administration is sanitized.
“The issue of land grabbing is capable of driving away investors,” Ajulo said from The Hague, where he is attending the Justice Matters Conference 2026.
“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.”
Ajulo said Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had given a clear mandate to eradicate land grabbing, stressing that the law would respect no individual, regardless of position.
“Governor Aiyedatiwa has demonstrated uncommon courage and unwavering political will in confronting this menace. Anyone found culpable will face the full weight of the law,” he said.
The government said the crackdown aims to restore investor confidence, protect genuine landowners, and secure property rights across the state.
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