Ogun Government Urges AIG Not to Interfere in Land‑Grabbing Prosecution

By James Ogunnaike

The Ogun State Government has cautioned Assistant Inspector General of Police Enyinnaya Adiogu, a senior officer with the Force Intelligence Department in Abuja, to cease what it described as a parallel investigation into a land‑grabbing case involving the World Mission Agency (WMA), the owners of Living Faith Church Worldwide in Sango‑Ota.

In a letter dated 23 May, Ogun State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Oluwasina Ogungbade warned the officer against probing allegations of criminal conspiracy, threats to life, and illegal possession of firearms that have been filed against the mission by Ibrahim Gbenga Ibuoye.

Ibuoye is currently being prosecuted before a Magistrates’ Court in Abeokuta on charges that include forceful entry onto another person’s land, unlawful takeover of property, and the use of threats and violence related to the disputed site.

Ogungbade stated that the matter is already before a competent court, and that any parallel police investigation would be improper and could undermine judicial proceedings.

“It is settled law that when a case is pending in court, no person must take any steps calculated to or capable of usurping the jurisdiction of the court,” the attorney general said.

He questioned why a defendant who has been on trial since 2025 would suddenly present himself as a complainant against parties involved in the pending criminal case.

The commissioner accused Ibuoye of violating the rule of law by approaching the Force Headquarters and positioning himself as a complainant after allegedly trespassing on land owned by WMA—a property the government says is backed by valid ownership documents and approvals issued by the Ogun State government.

Ogungbade provided background to the dispute, noting that WMA reportedly acquired the land in 2001 from a family recognised as the rightful owner by the Ogun State High Court. The property was subsequently fenced by the organisation.

He alleged that Ibuoye and another suspect unlawfully demolished the fence, forcefully occupied more than 100 acres of the land, and carried out illegal sand‑mining activities that severely degraded the property.

Consequently, the Ogun State Government directed the police officer to terminate any ongoing parallel investigation related to the dispute, withdraw all invitations extended to WMA officials, and comply with existing directives from the Inspector General of Police against duplication of case files.

The state government also acknowledged the efforts of successive Inspectors General of Police in curbing abuse of police processes and discouraging parallel investigations in matters already before competent courts.

It specifically praised the immediate past police leadership of Kayode Egbetokun and the current Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, for their commitment to professionalism and for stopping the conduct complained of in the letter.

The government warned that failure to comply with the directive could result in legal action against the officer.

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