War Against Land Grabbers In Ijesaland: Owa Obokun Panel Moves To End Omo Onile Menace, Land Grabbing And Chieftaincy Fights

Land grabbing in Ijesaland may finally be coming to an end as the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adesuyi Hastrup, has empowered a powerful committee to crush the activities of land grabbers, popularly known as Omo Onile, and stop the endless land and chieftaincy wars tearing communities apart.

The reconstituted Committee on Land Matters and Chieftaincy Affairs held its maiden sitting in Ilesa, Osun State, on Thursday, and the message was clear, no more land grabbing, no more trespass, no more wars over land in Ijesaland.

Secretary of the eight-member committee, Prof. Kolawole Kazeem, who spoke on behalf of the Chairman, Pa Ebenezer Adefalu, said the panel has a direct mandate from the Owa to tackle land grabbing head-on, alongside chieftaincy disputes across the six local government areas in Ijesaland.

The committee members include Oba Peter Adebamigbe, Rev. Abiodun Osungbohun, Prof. Olu Obi, Yemisi Ariyibi and Chief Daramola Daisi, with representatives drawn from all local governments to ensure synergy.

At the heart of the committee work is land grabbing. Kazeem said the panel will look not only into several cases of unlawful activities by persons known as Omo Onile, but also into the challenges of land grabbing and trespass by towns and villages sharing borders with Ijesaland.

For years, land grabbers have terrorised landowners, developers and families, seizing lands, extorting money, and forcing genuine owners into long and expensive court battles. Oba Hastrup had earlier placed a ban on activities of land grabbers in his domain, and warned those aiding land grabbers in the six local government areas to desist or face dire consequences.

Now, the committee is the enforcement arm of that ban.

Kazeem said the committee wants residents to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution instead of rushing to court or resorting to violence. The panel will ensure that cases on land and chieftaincy already in court from all six local government areas in Ijesaland are sorted out peacefully.

He said, we want people to embrace this Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism. We will ensure that cases on land and chieftaincy already in court from all six local government areas in Ijesaland are sorted out peacefully.

We should settle things amicably among ourselves without escalating them or making them serious matters. If you go to Osogbo, more than 70 per cent of cases on chieftaincy disputes come from Ijesaland. So this committee has the mandate to make sure that we reduce cases of chieftaincy disputes. We are not the final authority. We are playing an advisory role, and we are going to do our best.

Land grabbing is not only an internal problem. Communities in Ijesaland located along boundaries with other states have also suffered trespass and encroachment. The committee will collaborate with the Osun State Boundary Commission to handle complaints from those border communities.

Kazeem said the panel is ready to present petitions received from such towns and villages to the commission and liaise with the agency to ensure fast-track resolution.

He said, our role is to collaborate with anybody who has the responsibility to do that. The Boundary Commission is very important to us. We want to present the case on behalf of Ijesaland. That is what the Owa told us, and all the other monarchs in towns and cities in Ijesaland are involved in it. We have representatives from all local governments in this committee, so that we will have synergy in whatever we want to do.

We have all the papers of those towns and villages. The moment they get to our table, we take them up with the Boundary Commission and share the discussion with them. They have the information. If we have to liaise with Ondo or Ekiti, we will do that. What we are looking at, and what we are looking for, is ensuring that there should be no wars over land and chieftaincy matters in Ijesaland.

The six local government areas covered are Obokun, Oriade, Ilesa East, Ilesa West, Atakumosa East and Atakumosa West.

The committee has called on all victims of land grabbing, land trespass and chieftaincy disputes to bring their complaints forward. Petitioners are to submit 12 copies of their petitions to the secretariat of the panel. The group will hold its sitting four times a month.

Oba Hastrup, who inaugurated the committee at his palace in Ilesa, assured the panel of his full support to deliver on its mandate, and restated his ban on land grabbers.

For residents who have lost land, money and peace to Omo Onile, this is a new dawn. The war against land grabbing in Ijesaland has begun.