The Land Was Leased To The Family – Oba Gbadabiu
The Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA) has appealed to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to probe the allegation of illegal take-over of four acres of land belonging to Ola farms, Ikotun, founded by late Alhaji Lateef Alabi Ola, a legitimate agriculture enterprise, allegedly by the Onikotun of Ikotun, Oba Abdulazeez Gbadabiu.

The Executive Director of HURMA, Comrade Buna Olaitan Isiak, who made the appeal during a press conference in Lagos, said through the action, the monarch has forcefully taken over the family’s means of livelihood.

But in a swift reaction, the monarch, Oba Gbadabiu, who confirmed to The Guardian that his family did not forcefully took over the farmland as alleged, said his family leased the land to their late father but failed to fulfill the financial agreement made to the family.

Isiak noted that during the invasion, aside the assault on one of the deceased sons, Bola, farm facilities were seized, thousands of chickens and livestock were destroyed, just economic trees and structures were damaged.

While noting that the total losses incurred due to the invasion is in the region of N100m, Isiak said the acts amount not only to land grabbing, but also criminal trespass, violence, and economic sabotage, all of which the Anti-Land Grabbing Law of Lagos State seeks to prevent.

He said: “This petition is on behalf of the children of Late Alhaji Lateef Alabi Ola and other members of the Ola family—whose legally owned property and means of livelihood have been forcibly taken over in flagrant violation of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law, 2016, allegedly under the instigation and supervision of the Onikotun of Ikotun, Oba Abdulazeez Asiwaju Gbadabiu.

“This petition concerns persistent and violent land grabbing contrary to the Lagos State Properties Protection Law; use of force, thugs, and intimidation to dispossess lawful owners; abuse of a recognised traditional stool to shield criminals land grabbing activities targeted; dispossession of orphans, aggravating the offence under law, failure of deterrence, despite a pending court action and existing state legislation.

“The continued actions of the Onikotun of Ikotun represent a direct assault on the authority of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which enacted the Anti-Land Grabbing Law to curb exactly this type of conduct.”

He added that despite the clear provisions of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law (2016), which criminalizes forceful entry into land, use of violence or thugs to secure possession, occupation of land without lawful authority and any form of land grabbing under any guise, the monarch is alleged to have actively sponsored and protected violent land grabbers who invaded and continue to occupy the Ola family land.

“In view of the foregoing, HURMA respectfully urges the Oba of Lagos, Oba Akinolu to invoke his executive power to probe the allegations against the monarch, and as well direct the appropriate state committee(s) to investigate violations of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law in Ikotun.

“We are also recommending the immediate suspension of the Onikotun of Ikotun, Oba Abdulazeez Asiwaju Gbadabiu, pending the outcome of investigations, to prevent interference and further violations. HURMA also called on the relevant state agencies to enforce the Anti-Land Grabbing Law and remove all illegal occupants from the Ola family land.”

In his reaction, the monarch, Oba Gbadabiu, said: “The said land was leased to their father by our family between 1980 and 1981, but the agreement between them and our family was not fulfilled. There is a payment the Ola family needed to be paying yearly but they reneged. And when the lease lapsed, I met their father before his death to renew the agreement but he told me he had finalized all agreement with our late fathers.

“I wrote the family severally for us to meet, to show the documents they have on the land, they refused. I engaged a lawyer, who took the case to court in 2022, none of them appeared in court, in 2023, we petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), their family were invited, but also failed to show up… We have our own documents and we are not quarreling with the, let them bring their own documents, let’s sit down on a round table, to solve the issue, we’ll know if there’s need to compensate them or not