Lagos Royal Family Accuses Police of Colluding With Land Grabbers in Petition to IGP

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

The family says its ownership of the disputed New Oguntedo Village and Satellite Town settlement dates back to 1978, when the land was allocated to them by the then Federal Military Government following government acquisition and resettlement exercises.

It says a 1989 High Court of Lagos State judgment affirmed its ownership and possessory rights, and that this was later enforced through warrants of possession issued in 1997 and 2010.

Despite that judgment, the family alleges it has continued to face invasions, demolitions, intimidation and violence from what it describes as land-grabbing syndicates and criminal trespassers, and that police officers have done little to stop it.

In the petition, signed by Prince Yussuf Olarinde on behalf of the family and obtained by PUNCH Metro on Thursday, officers attached to the Satellite Police Station, Area E Command, Tactical Team Area E and the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department are accused of aiding land-grabbing activities and frustrating complaints against those the family identifies 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 in charge of the X-Squad Unit, and the Police Service Commission.

‘Rather than maintaining neutrality and enforcing lawful court judgments, the officers complained against provided operational cover and protection for armed thugs and land-grabbing syndicates; intimidated lawful occupants and family members,’ the petition read in part.

‘They prevented members of the Olarinde family from accessing their ancestral homes and properties. While they supervised and facilitated unlawful invasions and demolitions, they also frustrated lawful complaints and petitions submitted by the petitioners; and used police authority as an instrument of oppression against victims while shielding alleged perpetrators,’ it said.

The family says it has reported multiple violent incidents to police, including shootings, assaults, threats to life and property destruction.

Among them, it cites an alleged assassination attempt on Olanrewaju Olarinde on July 9, 2025, in which armed thugs allegedly attacked him — an attack the family says police have failed to investigate or prosecute despite repeated complaints.

Beyond the violence, the family accuses some officers of fabricating criminal allegations against its members and manipulating investigations to harass them, pointing to the arraignment of Yussuf Olarinde, Sanni Olarinde and the Oba-elect, Latifu Sadiku Olarinde, on murder and armed robbery charges, as well as a separate case involving another family member, Tope Olarinde.

The family also alleges that properties belonging to its members were demolished, looted or unlawfully occupied during what it calls police-backed invasions, with vehicles, building materials, cash and other valuables worth millions of naira allegedly stolen or confiscated in the process.

The family staged a protest at The PUNCH Place in July 2025 over the alleged harassment and land dispute.

It is now asking the IGP to order an independent investigation, transfer the relevant case files from the Lagos State Command to the Force Criminal Investigation Department or another unit outside the state, investigate the named officers, recover the allegedly stolen property, prosecute identified suspects, and provide police protection for family members and residents of Oguntedo Village and Satellite Town.

‘We respectfully submit that the continued silence, compromise, neglect, and inaction of some officers of the Lagos State Police Command in the face of overwhelming complaints, subsisting court judgments, attempted killings, violent invasions, criminal intimidation, and organised unlawful activities constitute a dangerous perversion of justice and a grave threat to the rule of law,’ the petitioners said.

‘We therefore passionately appeal to your distinguished office to urgently intervene in the interest of justice, public peace, protection of innocent citizens, preservation of lives and property, and safeguarding the integrity and credibility of the Nigeria Police Force,’ they added.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Iniedu Okokon, could not be reached for comment.

Calls to his phone went unanswered on Monday, and a text message sent to him had not received a response at the time.