By Ade Oyeyemi
The Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has dismissed a suit seeking to prevent the state Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force from investigating complaints and taking lawful action over alleged illegal acquisition of land in the state.
The suit, marked HCAK/324/CIV/2026, was filed by Akinsrinola Akinyele, Dorcas Omobomi and David Aladegbaye against the Ondo State Governor, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and the Ondo State Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force.
The applicants had asked the court to restrain the first to third respondents from receiving or acting on complaints relating to land which they claimed was already covered by existing judgments of the High Court.
The court, however, dismissed the action in its entirety, clearing the way for the Task Force to continue dealing with the complaints that prompted the suit.
The dispute arose from petitions concerning parcels of land in the Bolorunduro/Origere and Ijoka areas of Akure, involving members of the Akinyele Adebayo family and other individuals who alleged that their properties had been encroached upon.
During the Task Force’s intervention, Aladegbaye, who described himself in an affidavit as an associate and employee of the late Makanjuola Akinyele, reportedly participated in the investigation.
Following complaints made against him, he was said to have agreed to return some properties identified during the process as having allegedly been taken from petitioners.
The properties were reportedly returned to about four individuals before the matter later proceeded to litigation.
Aladegbaye subsequently filed an action after consulting lawyers representing the interests of the late Makanjuola Akinyele. In a further affidavit before the court, he denied forcibly taking anyone’s property.
He also maintained that he had not grabbed any land and argued that his activities were within property covered by a judgment which, according to him, belonged to the Akinyele Adebayo family.
Reacting to the ruling, the Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and Chairman of the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force, Dr Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, OON, said the decision reinforced the need for lawful investigations into complaints of land grabbing to be allowed to proceed.
Ajulo said litigation remained an important avenue for protecting rights but should not be used to obstruct legitimate investigations by government institutions.
“Litigation remains an indispensable instrument for the protection of rights and the administration of justice, but it must not become a means of paralysing legitimate investigations or frustrating institutions lawfully constituted to protect citizens and property,” he said.
The commissioner also urged lawyers to exercise their professional responsibilities in a manner that supports the administration of justice.
“The law is both a shield for the citizen and an instrument for the preservation of public order. Lawyers have a solemn duty to ensure that legal processes are used to vindicate rights and advance justice, not to frustrate lawful investigations or place legitimate public institutions beyond scrutiny,” he stated.
Ajulo reaffirmed the Aiyedatiwa administration’s commitment to protecting property rights and ensuring that residents could acquire and own property without fear of unlawful dispossession.
He explained that the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force was established to receive complaints, investigate competing claims and take lawful measures to protect property rights.
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The commissioner added that the existence of previous litigation or court judgments over a property did not, by itself, prevent the state from investigating allegations of criminal conduct or responding to complaints of unlawful dispossession where such action fell within the Task Force’s legal mandate.
Ajulo said the Task Force would continue its operations within the law while respecting the authority of the courts and the fundamental rights of all parties involved.
