Land Grabbing
Land Grabbing: Ondo Attorney General Enters Nolle Prosequi to Free Landowner
By Halima Abiola
…reiterates Gov. Aiyedatiwa’s zero-tolerance stance on land grabbing and lawful protection of legitimate landowners
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, OON, has entered a nolle prosequi to discontinue criminal proceedings against Mr. Fred Akinuoye, popularly known as “Adaja,” who had been remanded in connection with an alleged attack on an alleged notorious land grabber, Mr. Ojo Ajisafe.
The decision, formally conveyed in a letter to the Registrar of the Chief Magistrate Court effectively brings an end to the criminal case filed against Mr. Akinuoye.
Reports indicate that the controversy began after Mr. Ajisafe, an alleged serial land grabber with a record of violent disputes and prior murder trials, accused Mr. Akinuoye of attacking him with a machete on February 14, 2025, while on his farm. The accusation led to Akinuoye’s arrest and subsequent remand at the Olokuta Correctional Centre.
However, investigations revealed that the accusation stemmed from a retaliatory motive. Mr. Akinuoye had earlier won a court judgment affirming his ownership of the disputed land, which Mr. Ajisafe had long sought to seize. Despite previous records showing that Ajisafe had twice attacked Akinuoye, and was arrested, charged to court, and granted bail on both occasions, he allegedly fabricated the assault claim to frame Akinuoye and reverse his court victory.
In exercising his constitutional power under Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Dr. Ajulo reviewed the case and found the prosecution to be baseless and unjustified, prompting the issuance of the nolle prosequi to terminate the proceedings.
Dr. Ajulo expressed deep concern over the misuse of police authority in land-related disputes, calling on the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force in the State to retrain their officers on jurisdictional limits in civil land matters. He warned against continued interference in property disputes, stressing that such actions enable illegality and tarnish the image of the police and the country at large.