LAGOS FAMILY PETITIONS IG, ALLEGES POLICE SHIELDING SUSPECTED LAND GRABBERS

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By:Tajudeen Aminat

The Olarinde Royal Family of Oguntedo Village in Satellite Town, Lagos State, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, over alleged abuse of power, intimidation and collusion with suspected land grabbers by some officers of the Lagos State Police Command.

The family alleged that the affected officers frustrated investigations into violent attacks against its members while allegedly using their positions to harass and intimidate them.

The petition followed a protest staged by the family July 2025 over alleged harassment and a longstanding land dispute.

In the petition signed by Prince Yussuf Olarinde on behalf of the family and obtained by the press on Thursday, the petitioners accused officers attached to the Satellite Police Station, Area E Command, Tactical Team Area E and the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department of allegedly aiding suspected land-grabbing activities and obstructing complaints against individuals they identified as land grabbers.

The petition was also copied to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, the Commissioner of Police overseeing the X-Squad Unit and the Police Service Commission.

The family claimed that the disputed New Oguntedo Village and Satellite Town settlement was created and allocated to the Olarinde Royal Family by the then Federal Military Government in 1978 following government acquisition and resettlement exercises.

It further stated that its ownership and possessory rights over the property were affirmed by a 1989 judgment of the Lagos State High Court, which it said was subsequently enforced through warrants of possession issued in 1997 and 2010.

Despite the court judgment and possession orders, the petitioners alleged that the family had continued to face invasions, demolitions, intimidation and violence allegedly carried out by land-grabbing syndicates and suspected trespassers.

They also alleged that some police officers provided operational support for armed thugs, restricted family members from accessing their ancestral properties and frustrated complaints submitted to the authorities.

According to the petition, several violent incidents, including alleged shootings, assaults, threats to life and destruction of property, had been reported to the police.

The family specifically cited an alleged assassination attempt on Olanrewaju Olarinde on July 9, 2025, claiming that armed thugs attacked him and that the police failed to arrest or prosecute those responsible despite repeated complaints.

The petitioners further accused some officers of allegedly fabricating criminal allegations against family members, manipulating investigations and using criminal proceedings to intimidate them.

They cited the arraignment of Yussuf Olarinde, Sanni Olarinde and the Oba-elect, Latifu Sadiku Olarinde, over alleged murder and armed robbery charges, as well as another case involving a family member, Tope Olarinde.

The family also alleged that properties belonging to its members were demolished, looted or unlawfully occupied during what it described as police-backed invasions.

It claimed that vehicles, building materials, cash, personal belongings and other valuables worth millions of naira were allegedly stolen or confiscated during the incidents.

Consequently, the family asked the Inspector-General of Police to order an independent investigation into the allegations and transfer relevant case files from the Lagos State Police Command to the Force Criminal Investigation Department or another investigative unit outside the state.

It also requested the investigation of the officers named in the petition, recovery of allegedly stolen property, prosecution of identified suspects and adequate police protection for members of the Olarinde family and residents of Oguntedo Village and Satellite Town.

The petitioners appealed to the police leadership to intervene, saying the alleged failure to act on their complaints, despite what they described as subsisting court judgments and reports of violent attacks, posed a threat to justice and public safety.

Efforts to obtain a reaction from the Force Public Relations Officer, Iniedu Okokon, were unsuccessful on Monday, as calls to his telephone lines went unanswered.

A text message sent to him had also not received a response as of the time of filing this report.