…Recent arraignments, enforcement actions and court decisions reinforce the agency’s resolve to protect property rights and confront impunity
It is easier to blame government for what it has not done than to admit that one may have failed to abide by the law. More often than not, those who thrive on impunity are the loudest when government begins to enforce the rules. This is one of the challenges confronting the Ondo State Anti-Land Grabbing and Property Protection Task Force as it continues to carry out its mandate. Yet, the message from the agency is clear, its work will continue, and no amount of pressure, blackmail or attempt to manipulate public opinion will make it abandon its responsibility to protect legitimate property rights and uphold the law.
Only recently, two defendants, Akinboni Ojo and Olorunfemi Adeniyi, were arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting at Oke-Eda, Akure, over allegations of forcibly taking over and encroaching on an expanse of land belonging to a cooperative multipurpose society at Ita-Olorun, Idanre Road, Akure. Following their arraignment, they were remanded at the Olokuta Correctional Centre, while the process relating to their bail was subsequently perfected. I noticed a significant reference made during the proceedings to alleged illegal activities dating back to 2021. This is one of the reasons the law matters- it provides a framework for confronting land-related misconduct that might otherwise have continued unchecked, and it also sends a clear warning that alleged unlawful occupation and takeover of land will not simply be ignored because they have persisted for years.
Last Monday, two women were also arraigned at the Ile-Oluji Magistrate Court in the Ile-Oluji Magisterial District over allegations of encroachment and the unlawful takeover of another person’s land. These cases are not being referenced merely as courtroom developments, they are intended to demonstrate that the Task Force’s operations have continued despite attempts by some individuals to manipulate public opinion and frustrate the agency’s processes in order to obstruct efforts to curb their alleged illegal activities.
The Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force’s mandate extends across the State, and complaints receive attention in accordance with the facts and the law. Individuals or organised groups involved in land grabbing who believe that unlawful occupation, intimidation or the forceful takeover of another person’s property can continue without consequences should understand that the law will catch up with them. These proceedings should serve as a deterrent to others who may be engaged in similar activities.
There have also been important developments in court actions instituted against the Task Force. There are individuals who, instead of honouring the Task Force’s invitations, will run to court to institute cases against the agency, arguing that it cannot intervene in matters that fall within the mandate for which it was lawfully established. The Bible says, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth.” The irony is that they run from a harmless invitation, only to turn around and attempt to manipulate the media when a warrant of arrest is obtained following their blatant failure to honour the invitations. In the language of social media parlance, “Why are you running?” when you have done nothing unlawful?
These cases are a testament to the foregoing. In Suit No. FHC/AK/FHR/56/26, between one High Chief Abdulateef Adelusi and others and the Ondo State Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force and others, the Federal High Court, Akure, struck out the case, allowing the agency to carry out its statutory mandate. In another matter, Suit No. HCOD/82/CIV/26, between one Pastor Olarewaju Fawehinmi and others and the Ondo State Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force and others, the Ondo State High Court dismissed the case against the agency.
These decisions are worth referencing in the context of attempts to use litigation and public narratives to question or frustrate the agency’s operations. However, they should be understood for what the courts actually decided, rather than being treated by the public as a blanket endorsement of every action the Task Force may take. The agency, like every public institution, remains subject to the law and the authority of the courts. This is why it ensures that all its operations are guided by the rule of law.
The Fawehinmi matter is particularly instructive because of the controversy that followed an account he gave to the press, alleging that the agency had attempted to harass a 104-year-old woman and threaten members of the family with arrest, whereas the petition before the Task Force was specifically against Olanrewaju Fawehinmi and not the entire family or the elderly woman. Following his repeated failure to honour the Task Force’s invitations, a warrant of arrest was subsequently obtained against him. However, rather than address the petition against him, Fawehinmi attempted to portray the investigation as an attack on the entire family in a bid to draw public sympathy.
These types of individuals should understand that orchestrating the filing of suits such as this does not, in itself, extinguish the statutory responsibilities of a lawfully constituted agency, even as the agency continues to respect any specific court order binding on it. The right to approach the courts is fundamental, and anyone who believes that a public agency has acted unlawfully is entitled to seek judicial redress. But that right should not be confused with an automatic licence to obstruct an investigation or intimidate public officers out of performing their lawful duties.
While part of me believes that some lawyers should not allow themselves to be used as tools by those seeking to sabotage the fight against land grabbing, I also understand that lawyers have a responsibility to earn a living by doing their jobs. However, I believe that the duty of a good lawyer also includes offering sound legal advice. Perhaps, therefore, those involved should stop spending money on frivolous and futile efforts.
Ondo State cannot afford to return to an era of impunity in the administration of land. Governor Aiyedatiwa has sounded this warning on several occasions, and the Chairman of the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force has continued to reiterate it. The law will continue to protect the rights of legitimate landowners. Those who believe that impunity is a right may continue to resist the process, but the agency’s message is unequivocal- the work will continue, and the law must take its course. So, if they wish, let them relocate to another state.
[THE HOPE]
