Staff members of the News Agency of Nigeria have petitioned the Oyo State Real Property Protection Agency over the alleged invasion of their 35-acre housing estate in Ibadan by suspected land grabbers.
In a petition dated December 11, 2025, and signed by their solicitor, Ademola Sodamade, the workers accused some individuals of breach of peace, threat to life and malicious damage to property at Butubutu Village in Ona-Ara Local Government Area.
The petition, made available to journalists on Friday, listed Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Mrs Oluwamayowa Ayinde and Mr Adewale Owoade among the recognised owners of the property.
The workers alleged that the invaders, said to be led by one Mr Kazim, popularly known as Abija, forcefully entered the land without authorisation, uprooted survey beacons and removed signposts demarcating the estate.
According to the petitioners, the land was purchased between 2013 and 2014 under a cooperative housing scheme initiated by staff of the NAN Ibadan Zonal Office.
“After the perfection of the purchase, my clients partitioned the land and sold it to different individuals, the majority of whom are staff of the News Agency of Nigeria, Ibadan branch,” the petition read.
The workers further alleged that the suspected land speculators destroyed pillars erected on the site and had begun moves to resell portions of the land to unsuspecting buyers.
“He threatened to kill anybody who dared to stop him from carrying out his plans on the sale of the land,” the petition added.
Chairman of the NAN Housing Estate Scheme, Ibadan Zonal Office, Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun, described the development as “sad and disturbing,” saying the scheme was conceived to enable workers acquire landed property through monthly contributions since 2013.
“It is very disturbing that some hoodlums, under the guise of working for the state government, can forcefully encroach on the land, destroy farm produce, remove all the beacons and signposts installed there and threaten to kill and maim any of us on the site,” Balogun said.
The workers said copies of the petition, alongside purchase agreements, survey plans, photographs and other relevant documents, had been forwarded to the Olubadan Committee on Land Grabbing in the Office of the Deputy Governor, as well as the Chief Press Secretary to the Oyo State Governor.
They urged the property protection agency and other relevant authorities to urgently intervene to prevent a breakdown of law and order and safeguard their investment.
Efforts to reach the alleged leader of the invading group for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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