The Ogun State Task Force on Anti-Land Grabbing and Other Related Offences has detained the suspended Baale of Idiya, Abeokuta North Local Government, Chief Wale Kadiri Kudaisi, over allegations of land grabbing, unlawful encroachment, and destruction of property.
Kadiri, who has been the subject of several petitions bordering on land disputes in Abeokuta North and its environs, was arrested alongside one of his aides on Thursday, October 23, 2025, following a directive by the Task Force Commandant, Mr. Taiwo Mustapha, during a sitting at the agency’s headquarters on Quarry Road, Abeokuta.
The arrest followed a petition by the Crescent University Cooperative Society (CRESCOOPS) accusing the embattled community leader of forcefully encroaching on its land at Oloparun Village along the Rounda–Igboora Road, Abeokuta.
CRESCOOPS, through its vendor, Chief Olu Sonoiki, had presented valid ownership documents and other supporting evidence to establish its claim to the disputed land.
In contrast, the detained Baale and his associates reportedly failed to produce any credible title documents or court judgment to substantiate their ownership claims.
According to reports, the Task Force had earlier ordered all parties to maintain the status quo pending verification of ownership documents.
However, subsequent investigations revealed that Chief Kadiri and his team defied the directive and continued construction work on the contested land — a move that prompted his detention.
Commandant Mustapha, while ordering the arrest, said the suspects would remain in custody until they met the conditions for administrative bail, which include providing sureties and producing valid land ownership documents and the purported court judgment they had cited.
He added that the suspects risk being arraigned before a competent court on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, to face charges under the Ogun State Anti-Land Grabbing Law, 2016, if they fail to meet the bail requirements by Friday, October 24.
In a related development, Justice O. O. Majekodunmi of the Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta, on Friday dismissed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed by Chief Kadiri against the police and a journalist, Dr. Jamiu Folarin, who lectures at Crescent University.
The court held that the application lacked merit, effectively clearing the respondents of any wrongdoing in their roles related to the ongoing land disputes.
Reacting to the development, a member of the Crescent University Cooperative Society, Alhaji Afeez Makinde, commended the Task Force and the state government for “taking a bold step towards restoring sanity and public confidence” in the fight against land grabbing.
He described the arrest as “a clear signal that no one is above the law,” urging the government to sustain its enforcement drive to protect genuine landowners from intimidation and illegal occupation.
Chief Kadiri had earlier been suspended as Baale of Idiya by the Council of Baales in Abeokuta North, following a series of petitions and complaints alleging land grabbing and abuse of traditional authority.
The Ogun State Government, through the Ministry of Justice, established the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force to tackle rising cases of illegal land acquisition, intimidation, and property-related violence across the state.
The Ogun State Anti-Land Grabbing Law, 2016, prescribes severe penalties — including imprisonment — for offenders found guilty of forcefully taking over another person’s land.
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