An Ondo State Magistrate Court sitting in Oke Eda, Akure, on Thursday remanded a traditional ruler and two others at the Olokuta Correctional Centre over alleged involvement in illegal land transactions and multiple sales of landed property.
The defendants, Oba David Okunato, also known as the Oba of Osi Community in Akure North Local Government Area, alongside Tifase Folasade and Nwaigbue Chijioke, were arraigned as part of the Ondo State Government’s ongoing crackdown on land grabbing and fraudulent land dealings.
The suspects were brought before the court amid intensified efforts by the administration of Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to curb illegal land activities across the state.
According to allegations before the court, the monarch allegedly sold about 750 plots of land to a company for development purposes but later resold portions of the same land to other individuals.
The dispute reportedly surfaced when the company returned to commence development on the property and discovered that several persons were already claiming ownership based on fresh allocations allegedly made by the traditional ruler.
The matter was said to have been referred back to the monarch for clarification following tensions generated by the conflicting claims.
The prosecution further alleged that the monarch later offered another parcel of land to the company as compensation but subsequently sold the same property to a different buyer, worsening the controversy.
The court granted each defendant bail in the sum of N2m with one surety.
The surety, according to the court, must be a recognised traditional ruler within the magisterial district and a Level 14 officer resident in the Akure Magisterial District.
Pending the perfection of their bail conditions, the defendants were remanded at the Olokuta Correctional Centre.
Reacting to the development, the Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Olukayode Ajulo, vowed that the state government would sustain its campaign against land grabbing until sanity was restored to land administration across the state.
Ajulo, who also chairs the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force, said the government would not spare anyone found engaging in illegal land transactions, forceful takeover of property or fraudulent resale of land.
Speaking from The Hague, where he is attending the Justice Matters Conference 2026, the commissioner warned that land grabbing posed a serious threat to investment and peaceful coexistence in the state.
“We are sending a strong and unmistakable message across Ondo State that the era of impunity in land dealings will no longer be tolerated, irrespective of status or influence,” he said.
He added that the administration remained committed to protecting legitimate landowners, safeguarding investments and ensuring strict adherence to the rule of law.
Ajulo also praised Governor Aiyedatiwa for what he described as bold leadership and political will in confronting land grabbing across the state.
According to him, the governor has made it clear that no individual, regardless of position or influence, would be allowed to undermine peace and economic development through illegal land activities.