The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Olalekan Balogun, on Friday, suspended Olawale Oladoja, the Mogaji of Akinsola village in Akinyele Local Government Area (LGA) of Oyo State.

The personal assistant to Olubadan on media, Oladele Ogunsola, disclosed this while briefing reporters on the outcome of the emergency meeting attended by Mr Balogun.

The Olubadan had held a meeting with some members of his advisory council over land-grabbing cases by Mr Oladoja.

Mr Ogunsola said Mr Oladoja was suspended over land-grabbing

related cases after about 20 landlords in Akinsola protested that the chief ejected them from their residences.

“Landlords of about 200 houses in Akinsola on Thursday staged a protest and reported Oladoja to Oba Balogun for ejecting them from their respective houses.

”He (Oladoja) had gone on to lock and red-marked their buildings,” the Olubadan media aide said.

He added that the affected landlords said Mr Oladoja claimed that he had secured court judgments to prove that the land they built their houses was not legally sold to them.

Mr Ogunsola said the outcry prompted the emergency meeting convened by the Olubadan and his advisory council.

“At the meeting, Mogaji Oladoja told Olubadan and members of his advisory council that he made several attempts to resolve the matter before he decided to take action.

“He said that even though the matter had been reported to the Olubadan, he didn’t wait for the conclusion of the palace intervention before he approached the security agents for the execution of the court judgment that gave his family the right of ownership of the disputed land,” Mr Ogunsola said further.

He added that in its wisdom, the Olubadan Advisory Council submitted that several facts established have pointed to the fact that Mr Oladoja did not act rightly.

“The Ashipa Olubadan, Oba Biodun Kola-Daisi, who spoke on behalf of the council, blamed Oladoja for taking the law into his hands in spite of the fact that the case was before the palace.

“They (the Mogajis) unanimously agreed that Oladoja’s action was inconvenient and an embarrassment to the Olubadan stool and Ibadanland.

“Olubadan, therefore, pronounced Oladoja’s suspension as Mogaji, saying he crossed the line and ordered him to tender a public apology to the affected landlords,” Mr Ogunsola said.

(NAN)