The Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye, Oba Abdulrasak Adesina Adenugba, has strongly denied allegations of land grabbing, intimidation, and destruction of farmlands levelled against him by some groups within the Olabisi Onabanjo University host community, describing the claims as false, misleading, and driven by ulterior motives.

The monarch said he has never forcefully taken land belonging to any individual or community in Ago-Iwoye, stressing that all lands in the town have known owners and that he has always followed due process in land transactions.

“I don’t collect land for free,” Oba Adenugba said. “Every land in Ago-Iwoye has an owner. If I want land, I pay for it. I don’t take advantage of my position as a traditional ruler to take what does not belong to me.”

The Ebumawe was responding to petitions and public statements by representatives of some communities who accused him of land grabbing and alleged destruction of crops across different locations in and around Ago-Iwoye.

According to the monarch, the allegations are untrue, and he also ignores the legal and historical facts surrounding the lands in question.

Oba Adenugba said many of the claims being circulated are already before the courts, adding that he is confident that the judicial process will expose the falsehood in the allegations.

“If anyone believes I have wronged them, the court is there,” he said. “That is the right place to resolve land disputes, not the media.”

Addressing claims relating to Awori and Oke Erigba lands, the monarch explained that the area is part of his ancestral heritage, inherited from his grandfather and linked to his father’s village.

“That land is my father’s village. I inherited it from my grandfather,” he said. “When our fathers died, the village became almost moribund. There were hardly any people there, and the land was not productive.”

According to him, his decision to revive the area was motivated by part of his plans to promote agriculture and prevent the land from remaining abandoned.

“When I looked at what to do, I decided to revive the village through agriculture,” he said. “I have a child who is very good at agriculture, and we decided to make productive use of the land.”

The monarch said he went as far as bringing farmers from Cotonou in the Republic of Benin to ensure that the land was cultivated, noting that he personally invested in cocoa plantations in the area.

He dismissed suggestions that his activities amounted to land grabbing, saying the land has always been linked to his family and that he did not displace anyone to carry out farming activities.

On claims that crops worth tens of millions of naira were destroyed at Ayere, Oba Adenugba dismissed the figures, also saying they do not reflect the reality on the ground.

According to him, the land in question does not belong to Ago-Iwoye and was never owned by those currently making claims.

“The founder of that settlement is from Anikilaya in Ijebu-Ode,” he said. “When someone is an Omo Awujale, he cannot just take one plot of land; they usually take more. That particular Omo Awujale allowed his followers to farm on the land many years ago, but there were no written documents.”

He explained that the absence of formal documentation is now at the heart of the dispute, with individuals claiming ownership of land that was only temporarily allocated for farming.

“That does not make the land theirs,” the monarch said. “Farming on land does not automatically translate to ownership, especially when there is no agreement or title.”

Oba Adenugba said he has video evidence showing the condition of the land before it was cleared, insisting that there were no cash crops or permanent plantations on the land at the time.

“There was no cocoa, no kolanut plantation, no deity on that land,” he said. “I have evidence to show what the land looked like before anything was done there.”

The Ebumawe also rejected claims that hundreds of acres of farmland were bulldozed at Aba Paanu and other locations, describing the figures as grossly exaggerated.

“There is no land in Aba Paanu that is up to 600 acres,” he said. “That figure is simply not correct.”
He explained that a comprehensive survey of the area had been carried out as far back as 1980 by one of his predecessors, long before he ascended the throne.

“The survey showed the lands belonging to the Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye along the Ijebu-Ode/Ibadan Road and through the Awori community,” he said. “Aba Paanu is not within that area.”

According to the monarch, some of the allegations are based on misinformation or deliberate distortion of facts to create public sympathy.

Oba Adenugba emphasised that land disputes are civil matters that should be resolved through established legal mechanisms, not through media campaigns or public accusations.

He disclosed that some of the cases being referenced by his accusers are already before the courts, with hearings ongoing.

“One of them sued me at the Customary Court,” he said. “My chiefs were there to represent me, but the person did not even show up. Later, the case was moved to Abeokuta and then referred back to Ijebu-Igbo.”

According to him, the legal processes so far have not established any wrongdoing on his part.

“If they have documents, let them present them in court,” he said. “That is where evidence matters.”

The monarch also dismissed allegations that he uses thugs, cultists or security agencies to harass or intimidate members of any community.

“I challenge anyone making such claims to produce evidence,” he said. “You cannot just accuse a traditional ruler of using thugs or cultists without proof.”

Oba Adenugba said he has cooperated fully with law enforcement agencies whenever invited, adding that investigations conducted so far have not found him culpable.

“They reported me to the police, and the police investigated,” he said. “I was interrogated, and nothing was found.”

He noted that despite repeated accusations on radio programmes and in public forums, he initially chose not to respond to avoid escalating tensions.

The monarch said he is considering legal action against those he believes have deliberately damaged his reputation with what he described as false allegations.

Oba Adenugba reaffirmed his commitment to peace, development and agricultural investment in Ago-Iwoye, saying his actions as a traditional ruler have always been guided by the interest of the community.

“My duty is to develop Ago-Iwoye, not to oppress anyone,” he said.

He said he believes the ongoing disputes are distractions that will eventually be resolved through lawful means.

“The truth will come out,” he said. “Ago-Iwoye will not be dragged backwards because of false allegations.”