The Olarinde Royal Family of New Oguntedo community in Satellite Town, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State has raised alarm over what it described as a violent and unlawful takeover of its ancestral land by suspected land grabbers acting in collusion with certain police operatives.
In a peaceful protest staged on Wednesday, the family accused some officers of the Nigeria Police Force of aiding the invaders in an alleged campaign of intimidation, arrest, and eviction targeting the family and its members. Prince Yussuf Olarinde, the family’s Public Relations Officer, expressed deep frustration, claiming that despite having a valid court judgment backing their ownership, their land has been taken by force.
“The land was lawfully allocated to us by the Federal Government in 1978 as resettlement after the initial acquisition of our ancestral village for public use,” Olarinde explained. “Former Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, visited our people, promised resettlement, and fulfilled that promise. Fourteen family quarters were constructed and land for farming was allotted. We’ve lived there peacefully for more than three decades.”
He noted that a Lagos High Court judgment had affirmed the family’s ownership, and the verdict had been fully enforced. Yet, in recent years, new individuals emerged, laying claim to the land without any legal backing. According to Olarinde, the newcomers have resorted to deploying hoodlums and leveraging rogue security elements to evict the rightful owners.
“They didn’t go to court to prove their claim. Instead, they’ve used violence. Our homes were looted, vehicles taken, and some of us detained under false accusations. It’s been a sustained campaign of harassment,” he said, adding that a unit of the police, MOPOL 49 Squadron in Epe, was among those allegedly involved in forcibly removing family members from their residences.
The land dispute, he said, dates back to between 2014 and 2016, during which several family members were allegedly arrested on trumped-up charges while the land was seized. “Even I narrowly escaped an assassination attempt recently. It’s a crisis we’ve endured in silence for too long,” he added.
Another member of the family, Zainab Olarinde, spoke emotionally about how the situation had disrupted their lives and education. “One plot here is worth over N40 million. That’s why they’re after it. We’ve lost homes and now our education is at risk because of the financial strain.”
The family said it had written several petitions to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos Attorney-General’s office, and the State House of Assembly, but no formal response had been received. They called on the governor and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene and ensure justice is served.
When reached for comment, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, said he was not aware of the incident. Meanwhile, calls to the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, were not answered, and a message sent to him had not been returned as of press time.
The Olarinde family insists it will continue to seek legal and peaceful redress but urges the government to protect them from what they describe as organized land banditry threatening their safety and ancestral heritage.
