The Ogun State Government has arraigned the suspended Olu of Obafemi, Oba Taofeek Owolabi, before a State High Court sitting in Abeokuta over allegations of land grabbing and related offences.
Owolabi, a member of the Egba Traditional Council, was brought before Justice Sunday Adeniyi on Tuesday.
This was contained in a statement released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Justice.
Owolabi is currently on suspension from his role as a traditional ruler in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area over similar allegations.
The royal father was said to have been arraigned on Tuesday “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.”
According to the statement, which affirmed the monarch’s presumption of innocence, Owolabi was 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 government alleged that Owolabi never remitted the sum to the landholding families and also placed thugs on the land, who macheted one individual, while he attacked a police officer from the task force combating land grabbing in Ogun State.
The statement added that the government took several steps to call Oba Owolabi to order, saying that 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.
The statement added, “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.
“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.”
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 read.
The PUNCH
