From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
On Saturday, the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Clement Haastrup, inaugurated an eight-member land matters and chieftaincy affairs committee with a firm mandate to stamp out the unlawful activities of land grabbers, locally known as Omo Onile.
The monarch declared that anyone using the guise of land ownership or community authority to harass, intimidate or extort genuine landowners and developers will no longer find a safe haven in Ijesaland.
The newly inaugurated committee comprises Pa Adefalu Ademola as Chairman; Prof. Kola Kazeem as Secretary; Oba Peter Adebamigbe, the Asireyun of Isireyun; Reverend Osungbohun Olugbenga; Mr. Isaac Orolugbagbe; Professor Olu Obi; Yemisi Ariyibi; and Chief Daramola Daisi, the Ajiroba of Ipetu-Ijesa. Justice Adedotun Onibokun was appointed as the honorary consultant to the body.
Addressing the committee, Oba Haastrup warned that individuals who demand unlawful payments, issue threats, obstruct legitimate development or resort to self-help will be reported to the appropriate authorities and dealt with according to the law.
He stressed that no custom, title, family claim or personal influence serves as a licence for oppression.
“Our people should not confuse this directive with a denial of legitimate family, communal or customary rights. Genuine interests must be heard and established through proper processes.
“What we reject is self-help, coercion, extortion and the assumption that the loudest or most powerful person is automatically right,” the monarch stated.
The monarch also explained that the committee will help mediate existing chieftaincy disagreements, clear backlogs of vacant positions and serve as an integrity gate for screening candidates.
Oba Haastrup emphasised that the screening process must be entirely fair to both candidates and communities, warning that wealth, political influence, family pressure or proximity to power should not fast-track any nomination, nor should deserving individuals be unfairly excluded.
“We must consider character, service, community standing, respect for custom and the capacity to perform the responsibilities of the office. We must also guard against confusion created by competing or overlapping titles, including the proliferation of so-called street chiefs where authority is unclear,” he added.
The traditional ruler called on monarchs, chiefs, families, landowners, investors and the wider public to support peaceful and lawful processes by presenting concrete facts and respecting boundaries rather than fuelling conflicts through rumours or intimidation.
Responding on behalf of the committee, the committee chairman, Pa Adefalu, assured the monarch and the public that the panel would discharge its duties strictly guided by the principles of fairness and justice.
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