The Olarinde Royal Family of Oguntedo Village, Satellite Town, Lagos State, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, alleging abuse of power, intimidation, and collusion with land grabbers by officers of the Lagos State Police Command.
In the petition signed by Prince Yussuf Olarinde and obtained by us the family claims that certain officers attached to the Satellite Police Station, Area E Command, Tactical Team Area E, and the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department not only aided land-grabbing activities but also frustrated efforts to investigate violent attacks against family members. The petition further alleges that these officers used their authority to harass and intimidate the family, rather than protect them.
The family had previously staged a protest at The PUNCH Place in July 2025 to draw attention to the ongoing harassment and land dispute.
Addressed to the Inspector-General, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, the Commissioner of Police overseeing the X-Squad Unit, and the Police Service Commission, the petition details a protracted dispute over the New Oguntedo Village and Satellite Town settlement. The Olarinde family asserts that the land was allocated to them by the Federal Military Government in 1978 after a government acquisition and resettlement exercise. Their ownership, they say, was affirmed by a 1989 High Court judgment and subsequent warrants of possession issued in 1997 and 2010.
Despite these legal victories, the family alleges they have continued to face invasions, demolitions, intimidation, and violence organized by land-grabbing syndicates and criminal trespassers. They also accuse some police officers of providing operational cover for armed thugs, blocking family members from accessing their ancestral land, and stalling official complaints.
The petition states in part: “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, while intimidating lawful occupants and family members. They supervised and facilitated unlawful invasions and demolitions, frustrated lawful complaints and petitions, and used police authority as an instrument of oppression against victims while shielding alleged perpetrators.”
The family further alleges that several violent incidents—including shootings, assaults, threats to life, and property destruction—have been reported to the police, with little to no action taken. They cite, for example, an alleged assassination attempt on Olanrewaju Olarinde on July 9, 2025, during which armed thugs attacked him. Despite repeated complaints, the police allegedly failed to arrest or prosecute those responsible.
Additionally, the petition accuses some officers of fabricating criminal allegations against family members, manipulating investigations, and using criminal proceedings as a tool of harassment. The family points 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 Tope Olarinde.
The family also claims that their properties have been demolished, looted, or unlawfully occupied during police-backed invasions, with vehicles, building materials, cash, personal belongings, and other valuables worth millions of naira allegedly stolen or seized.
Consequently, the Olarinde family is urging the Inspector-General to order an independent investigation into the allegations, transfer relevant case files from the Lagos State Command to the FCID or another unit outside the state, investigate the officers named in the petition, recover stolen properties, prosecute identified suspects, and provide police protection for family members and residents of Oguntedo Village and Satellite Town.
The petitioners stated: “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. 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.”
As of the time of filing this report, Force Public Relations Officer Iniedu Okokon could not be reached for comment, as calls and text messages to his phone were unanswered.
