A Lagos-based businessman, Dr. F.F.O. Abudu has accused the Onigbanko of Igbanko in Badagry, Oba Sheriff Adesina Bello, and three others of illegally encroaching on his farmland.
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In a petition to the Nigerian Police through his lawyers, Messrs S.W. Toweh and Co, Abudu claimed the monarch and his associates, Peter Adeyemi Salami Ilo, Rotimi Akinyele and Amusa Rafiu, trespassed on the property and engaged in willful destruction of crops such as cassava, plantain, corn, and ridges worth N40 million. His farmland, located along Igbanko Road in Imeke, spans 14 acres and has been a hub for farming activities since 1997.

According to him, he acquired the land formally in 1999 from the Orisagbemi Olungbo family and has since cultivated crops, reared livestock, and built a farmhouse on the property.

Trouble began in 2010 when a dispute arose between the Orisagbemi Olungbo family and neighbouring families over land boundaries. The matter escalated to the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, where an injunction was issued in 2016 ordering all parties to maintain the status quo until the case is resolved.

Abudu alleged that despite the court order, the monarch and his associates on October 31, 2024, invaded the farmland with bulldozers and armed men. “They destroyed crops estimated at N40 million, threatening to assault my workers in the process,” he said. He further claimed the monarch had taken over 75 per cent of the land and started construction on it, blatantly ignoring the injunction.

Abudu also accused Oba Bello of having a history of selling disputed parcels of land along Igbanko Road and annexing lands that do not belong to him. “This is not the first time he has done this,” Abudu said, adding that last month, the monarch allegedly attempted to occupy land owned by Lagos State University Staff Cooperative but was forced to retreat after a confrontation.

He claimed the monarch was targeting him because he was not an indigene of the community. “For him, no non-indigene should have land in the quantum sold to me. He is appropriating lands belonging to fellow kings,” he said.

In the petition, Abudu called on the police to intervene and prevent further encroachment, but he expressed frustration with their lack of urgency. “The police are yet to make arrests or even summon the trespassers. After much pressure they are promising action,” he said.

When contacted, Oba Sheriff Bello declined to address the allegations. “The petition was recently submitted to my office. We’ve invited all the concerned parties for questioning, but they haven’t responded yet. Until investigations are completed, there’s nothing more I can say,” he told The Guardian.
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