The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has intensified efforts to curb land grabbing in the ancient city, handing over a suspect to the Oyo State Directorate of the Department of State Services over an alleged land dispute.
Two other suspects linked to the matter are reportedly at large.
The action followed a prolonged ownership tussle between the Akoto and Ojofeitimi families over a parcel of land situated along the ICAST corridor in the Elebu area of Ibadan.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued in Ibadan on Wednesday by the monarch’s media aide, Adeola Oloko.
The PUNCH reports that Ladoja had, on October 14, 2025, inaugurated a five-member committee to address cases of land grabbing and related offences in Ibadanland.
The committee comprises Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Niyi Akintola and Musibau Adetunbi, alongside Yinka Okunade, Rahman AbdulRaheem and Tunji Thomas.
The monarch granted the panel the mandate to co-opt professionals from relevant fields, including town planning, surveying, security agencies, as well as members of the bar and bench, to strengthen its assignment.
Oloko explained that both families had earlier petitioned the Olubadan-in-Council to intervene in the dispute, with the Akoto family laying claim to a portion of the land, while the Ojofeitimi family insisted that the entire property belonged to them.
He stated that the council invited the parties to a meeting last month and directed them to present survey plans and other documents to substantiate their claims.
The monarch also ordered that no party should engage in threats, encroachment or further development on the land pending the outcome of investigations.
The dispute climaxed on Tuesday when the feuding parties were summoned to the Olubadan Palace at Oke-Aremo for the presentation of the investigative report.
According to the statement, the council ruled that the land occupied by the Ojofeitimi family rightfully belonged to them, dismissing the Akoto family’s claim.
Presenting the findings, the Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers in Oyo State, Ajibade Bolanle, said an independent survey and official records from the state Ministry of Lands affirmed the Ojofeitimi family’s ownership.
He noted that while the survey plan tendered by the Ojofeitimi family carried an official red copy, the document submitted by the Akoto family lacked statutory backing.
Tension reportedly escalated when two of the three Akoto family representatives failed to attend the meeting for the presentation of the report, raising concerns among members of the council.
The situation was further aggravated by allegations that one Kunle Ojofeitimi was assaulted during the investigation period, despite earlier directives from the Olubadan urging all parties to maintain peace.
He was said to have received treatment at the Adeoyo State Hospital, while the matter was also reported to the police.
Oloko added that one suspect had since been apprehended and handed over to the DSS, while security agencies were making efforts to track down the remaining two suspects.
Among dignitaries present at the palace meeting were the Osi Olubadan, Oba Abiodun Kola Daisi; Asipa Olubadan, Oba Hamidu Ajibade; Asipa Balogun, Oba Abiodun Azeez Agagagugu; Ekerin Balogun, Oba Mobolaji Akeem Adewoyin; Aare Mayegun of Ibadanland, Chief Bayo Oyero; and the President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, Chief Niyi Ajewole, among others.