* Oba Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja
By Ibidapo Olowolayemo, Ibadan
Wednesday October 15, 2025
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The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja has said hard times await land grabbers “giving Ibadan a bad reputation.”
According to Oba Ladoja’s media aide, Adebola Oloko, in a statement on Wednesday, the monarch said this on Tuesday his palace, Oke Aremo, Ibadan, while inaugurating a five-member committee of legal practitioners charged with the task of tackling the problem from the legal perspective.
The committee, comprising Chief Niyi Akintola, SAN, Barrister Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, Yinka Okunade, Rahman Abiodun AbdulRaheem and Tunji Thomas, was charged by Oba Ladoja to co-opt anybody from other professions, including town planning, survey, security and legal, who could assist in giving them sufficient help to fight the scourge.
However, Barrister Adetunbi, SAN, was absent at the inauguration.
Flanked by members of Olubadan-in-Council, Oba Ladoja stated that both the Oyo State government and the Olubadan-in-Council were on the same page in ridding Ibadan of land grabbing.
According to him, land grabbing was like an interlocking web of complex connections involving diverse interests that needed to be unravelled.
“I know each of you very well. While we entertain no illusion as to the gravity of your responsibility, I have no doubt in my mind that you have the capacity to carry out the responsibility,” Oba Ladoja said.
He told the committee to hit the ground running, giving them 21 days to make their recommendations.
The Olubadan, however, clarified that the inauguration of the legal advisory committee was meant to strengthen the existing committee on land matters, headed by Mogaji Asimiyu Ariori.
Speaking in the same vein, the Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Tajudeen Ajibola, corroborated Olubadan’s position, saying it had become desirable for Ibadan to take stringent action against the menace of land grabbing, “because it has constantly put our people in harm’s way.”
According to him, “if it were possible, we should seek the establishment of anti-land grabbing tribunals in all the 11 local government areas in Ibadanland.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, Chief Akintola, SAN, expressed the members’ gratitude to Olubadan and Olubadan-in-Council for giving them the privilege to serve their fatherland.
He said their inauguration was a call to service of their fatherland, adding that the committee needed the co-operation and support of the Oyo State government and Ibadan people in checkmating land grabbing.
He noted that the state government was not favourably disposed to land grabbing either, and as such, the Anti-Land Grabbing Advisory Committee would strengthen government’s resolve to tackle the menace.
The Olubadan-in-Council meeting, presided over by Oba Ladoja, was also attended by the Otun Balogun, Oba Kola Adegbola; Otun Olubadan-esignate, Oba Eddy Oyewole; Osi Balogun, Oba Olubunmi Isioye-Dada; Osi Olubadan-designate, Oba Abiodun Kola-Daisi; Asipa Olubadan-designate, Oba Hamidu Ajibade; Ekerin Balogun, Oba Akeem Adewoyin; and Ekerin Olubadan-designate, Oba Adebayo Akande.
Also present were Bobajiro of Ibadanland, former Oyo State Head of Service, Chief Tajudeen Aremu; and Ajiroba, Professor Soji Adejumo.
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