ABEOKUTA, Nigeria, October 27 – Registered surveyor Taiwo Faleti has submitted a formal petition to Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun, accusing Oba Lawrence Adisa Odeyinka, a traditional ruler in the Obafemi-Owode local government area, of engaging in land grabbing. Faleti claims the monarch has trespassed on his property and threatened his life.
This complaint comes shortly after another traditional leader in the same region was arraigned in court on similar charges involving illegal land acquisitions worth millions of naira.
Faleti, residing at No. 4, Leme, Abiola Way, Abeokuta, filed his petition on September 26 through his lawyer, Alatishe Abdul Qadri. He accuses Oba Odeyinka of encroaching upon and seizing land along the Abata-Siun Village Road in Obafemi-Owode. The petition has also been submitted to Ogun State’s top officials, including the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Secretary to the State Government, Attorney General, Commissioner of Police, and Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo.
According to the petition, titled Complaints Against Oba Lawrence Adisa Odeyinka on Repeated Acts of Trespass and Land Grabbing, Faleti’s counsel alleges that the monarch has employed a bulldozer to clear trees on Faleti’s one-acre plot and confiscated construction materials, including granite, stone dust, blocks, and fencing poles. The lawyer contends that Oba Odeyinka disregarded multiple summons to meetings called by the Attorney General to resolve the dispute.
“We represent Mr. Taiwo Faleti, a registered surveyor, and our client has informed us that Oba Lawrence Adisa Odeyinka has been encroaching and trespassing on his one-acre land,” the petition reads. “Despite earlier reports to the Commissioner of Police, Attorney General, and other authorities, the traditional ruler continues his illegal actions.”
Faleti’s lawyer further claims that an officer from the Ogun State Task Force on illegal activities has shown favouritism towards the traditional ruler, suggesting the official may be enabling the monarch’s actions.
The legal counsel from A.H. Adesanya Broad Field Chambers has urged Governor Abiodun to urgently intervene, stating, “Injustice to one is injustice to all.”
Attempts to contact Oba Odeyinka for comment were unsuccessful. However, a palace source, who requested anonymity, indicated that the royal father has chosen not to address the issue publicly at this time.
