A 55-year-old suspected land speculator, Ayotunde Atiroko, has been arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly forcefully reclaiming a two-acre parcel of land he had earlier sold to a buyer in Epe, Lagos State.
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Atiroko was arrested by operatives of the Zone 2 Police Command, Lagos, following a petition by the buyer, Adepeju Arinto, who accused him of unlawfully taking over the property despite allegedly selling it to her years earlier.
According to the police, the disputed land measures 6,796.283 square metres, equivalent to two acres, and is located at Abodo Poika area of Epe, Lagos State.
The prosecution alleged that Arinto had bought the land from the defendant several years ago and later erected a perimeter fence and gate on the property.
However, when she mobilised workers to commence development on the land in June 2026, she allegedly discovered that the fence and gate had been demolished and replaced with a new fence and gate.
Police further alleged that the property had been occupied by suspected hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons.
When Arinto reportedly questioned the men about their presence on the land, they allegedly told her that the property no longer belonged to her and warned her not to return or risk being attacked.
Fearing for her safety, Arinto petitioned the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, AIG Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, who directed a special team of detectives to investigate the matter and arrest those involved.
Police said Atiroko, a resident of Badore, Ajah, Lagos, was later tracked to his hideout and arrested, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other suspects who are still at large.
Following investigations led by Inspector Taiwo Abass and his team, the defendant was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on forcible entry, encroachment and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.
Prosecuting counsel, Superintendent of Police Reuben Solomon, told the court in Charge No. N/15/2026 that Atiroko and his alleged accomplices committed the offences between 2017 and June 2026 at Abodo Poika, Epe.
Solomon alleged that the defendant unlawfully repossessed the land by destroying the complainant’s perimeter fence and gate, erecting new structures on the property without her consent and deploying armed hoodlums to prevent her from accessing the land.
The prosecution said the alleged actions were driven by greed and constituted offences punishable under Sections 411, 52, 350 and 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
When the charges were read to him, Atiroko pleaded not guilty.
Presiding Magistrate T.A. Abayomi granted the defendant bail in the sum of ₦150,000 with two sureties in like sum.
The magistrate adjourned the case for mention and ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
The defendant has not been convicted of the allegations.
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