Palpably worried Prince David Kolawole Adeleke Oguntade has appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun – led Ogun State Government to wade into the escalating land dispute involving four families and the Baale of Odofin Oke-Rala Village in Makun, Sagamu, Chief Nasiru Adekunle Sodeinde to avert a major crisis.
While expressing his deep concern earlier this week to newsmen over what he described as the Baale’s misuse of authority, Omoba Oguntade accused Chief Nasiru who is also a member of the extended family of using his position to oppress other branches of the lineage and assume sole control over the family’s land.
Speaking on behalf of the four families – Sodeinde, Oguntade, Adegbuyi, and Onawoga, he accused the Baale of positioning land grabbers at the entrance of a 300-acres farmland without informing any member of the family and denied several members access to the land during routine farming activities.
According to him, the matter was subsequently taken before HRH Oba Timothy Oyeola Akinsanya (Orungba II), the Ewusi of Makun Kingdom, who ordered the Baale to remove the self-acclaimed security operatives from the land.
Despite this directive, Omoba Oguntade alleged that portions of the land had already been sold to unknown individuals, who have since fenced off about twenty acres, claiming legitimate purchase.
Supporting the claims, Mr. Sokoya Hassan Taiwo of the Adegbuyi family said he was coerced into signing documents he did not understand. He narrated how the Baale invited him under the pretext of meeting the family lawyer, only to take him to an unfamiliar office belonging to individuals identified as Mogaji and Alowonle. There, he found himself surrounded by armed land grabbers who compelled him to sign documents on behalf of the Adegbuyi branch of the family.
Sokoya said he later informed the family of the incident, and efforts to obtain copies of the documents allegedly signed for “loan purposes” from the Baale have been unsuccessful. Instead, the families later discovered that the disputed land had been fenced by individuals claiming to have purchased it.
The affected families are urging the Ogun State Government to intervene urgently, protect them from what they describe as intimidation and illegal land dealing, and compel all involved including Mogaji and Alowonle to explain the circumstances under which they took possession of parts of the farmland.
All efforts to reach the Ewusi of Makun Kingdom for comments were unsuccessful as at press time with text message sent to him through our correspondent on Friday.
