A Chief Magistrate's Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has ordered the remand of the Obaloja of Oba-Ile in Akure North Local Government Area, Olusola Michael Aderounmu, over alleged involvement in illegal activities relating to a disputed parcel of land.
Aderounmu was arraigned on four counts bordering on alleged threats to life, forceful takeover of landed property and the destruction of fenced oil palm and plantain plantations at Oke-Oge, opposite the Akure Airport.
The disputed property was said to have belonged to the late Chief Daniel Fabomi, the Ajana of Eleyewo, who reportedly sold the land in 2014 before his death.
According to the charge filed by the Ondo State Ministry of Justice, the defendant, alongside others said to be at large, allegedly trespassed on the farmland, destroyed fences and crops, and used thugs to dispossess the recognised owner despite allegedly knowing that the property had been legally transferred years earlier.
The prosecution, led by the ministry's Principal Legal Officer, O.E. Akintan, argued that the alleged offences contravened provisions of the Ondo State Properties Protection and Documentation Law, 2024, adding that the actions were capable of disrupting public peace and undermining lawful ownership of landed property.
Akintan further told the court that Aderounmu allegedly ignored several invitations extended to him by the state's Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force since May 2026, claiming he repeatedly evaded investigation.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The presiding magistrate admitted him to bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties. The court ruled that one of the sureties must be a Level 10 civil servant with a letter of appointment, while the other must be a landed property owner. Both are to provide valid tax clearance certificates and undergo verification by the court registrar.
The court also directed the defendant to file affidavits and other documents supporting the titles presented by the sureties. He was subsequently remanded at the Olokuta Correctional Centre pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions.
Reacting to the development, the Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Olukayode Ajulo, warned residents against using violence, intimidation or self-help to settle land disputes.
Ajulo, who also chairs the Ondo State Task Force on Property Protection and Anti-Land Grabbing, said the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa remained committed to resolving land disputes through legal means, warning that perpetrators of land grabbing and other unlawful property-related acts would continue to face prosecution.
He added that the task force was established to provide residents with a lawful avenue for resolving property disputes while discouraging acts capable of fueling violence and insecurity in communities.
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