In a bid to address the growing incidence of land grabbing in Ibadanland, the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, on Tuesday inaugurated a five-member legal advisory committee tasked with tackling land disputes through legal channels.
The ceremony took place at the Olubadan Palace in Oke Aremo.Speaking during the inauguration ceremony held at the Olubadan Palace in Oke Aremo, Oba Ladoja warned that “hard times await land grabbers” who are tarnishing the city’s image and threatening its social fabric.
The monarch lamented the increasingly complex and organised nature of land-related disputes and criminal encroachments, describing the issue as an “interlocking web of complex connections involving diverse interests that need to be unravelled.”
The newly inaugurated committee is composed of senior legal professionals and land rights advocates, including Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), Barr. Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), Yinka Okunade, Rahman Abiodun AbdulRaheem, and Tunji Thomas.
Although Barrister Adetunbi was absent at the event, the committee was formally empowered to begin work immediately.
Oba Ladoja expressed full confidence in the calibre of the appointees, urging them to “hit the ground running” and submit their recommendations within 21 days.
He also encouraged the committee to collaborate with experts across various sectors—urban planning, surveying, security, and the judiciary—highlighting the need for an interdisciplinary approach.
“We entertain no illusion about the gravity of your responsibility, but I have no doubt in my mind that you have the capacity to carry it out,” the monarch stated.
He further clarified that the committee’s work is intended to strengthen, not replace, the existing land matters committee led by Mogaji Asimiyu Ariori, underscoring the growing urgency to curb illegal land acquisition and violent territorial claims.
The event, attended by high-ranking members of the Olubadan-in-Council, also saw strong backing from the Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Tajudeen Ajibola, who echoed the Olubadan’s concerns. He called for stringent legal action, suggesting that anti-land-grabbing tribunals be established in all eleven local government areas in Ibadanland.
“The threat of land grabbing has constantly put our people in harm’s way,” Oba Ajibola said.
“We must act now with a coordinated and legal response.”Speaking on behalf of the committee, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) described their appointment as a call to service, pledging the team’s commitment to restoring sanity in land administration and ownership across Ibadanland.
“We thank Kabiyesi and the Olubadan-in-Council for this honour. We are ready to work with the Oyo State Government, which has also expressed its disapproval of land grabbing, to tackle this menace from the grassroots,” Akintola said.
He emphasised that the fight against land grabbing would require public support, inter-agency cooperation, and community vigilance.
The Olubadan-in-Council meeting, presided over by Oba Ladoja, was attended by several eminent traditional rulers and dignitaries, including Oba Tajudeen Ajibola, Balogun of Ibadanland; Oba Kola Adegbola, Otun Balogun; Oba Eddy Oyewole, Otun Olubadan-Designate; Oba Olubunmi Isioye-Dada, Osi Balogun; Oba Abiodun Kola-Daisi, Osi Olubadan-Designate; Oba Hamidu Ajibade, Asipa Olubadan-Designate; Oba Akeem Adewoyin, Ekerin Balogun; and Oba Adebayo Akande, Ekerin Olubadan-Designate.
Also present were distinguished sons of Ibadan, including Chief Tajudeen Aremu, former Head of Service in Oyo State, and Prof. Soji Adejumo, the Ajiroba of Ibadanland.
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