Ago-Are Year Review (2025)

04/07/2025

LITIGATIONS ON LEADERSHIP ABUSE: EKA IDALE CONDUCTS FINDINGS

Following rising litigations and unending face-off over allegedl instances of leadership abuse in the Community, the Eka Idale forum of the native assembly Ifelodun Ago Aare Parapo has despatched a four-man delegation to the home front on a fact-finding mission.

The delegates were led by its chairman Surveyor Sulaimon Adebayo.

The Eka Idale is the umbrella forum of all the branches of the Ifelodun Parapo nationwide and in the diaspora.

All sides in the outstanding conflicts are expected to be met by the delegation in its mission to find lasting solutions to the identified problems to enable the Community to move forward in stability and appreciable development.

At a meeting held with a coalition of the high chiefs and activist princes of the Edu Ruling House on Friday 4th July, 2025 major grievances tabled at the fact-finding mission include autocratic leadership, suppression of the voices of reason, witch hunting of well,-meaning members of the Community and forced misuse of community assets and bullying of vocal members of the Royal Family.

Other grievances were perpetration of divide-and-rule tactics non-adherence to the Code of Conduct for traditional rulers, treacherous collaboration of some individuals on land trespass, misuse of community funds, relegation of chieftaincy titles and imposition of a non-member of the Edu Ruling House to act as the family head among others.

29/06/2025

SOCIALS

Some family members and well-wishers celebrating Pa Prince Michael Ipadeola Oyewo 92nd year birthday.

29/06/2025

SOCIALS

Pa Prince Michael Ipadeola Oyewo of the Edu Ruling House celebrates 92 years birthday.

AYR wishes the elder more years in good health and happiness.

28/06/2025

LOSS IN THE ROYAL FAMILY

It was a gloomy weekend as the death was announced of a member of the royal family Prince Abdullateef Ibitoye Kofoworola of the Aare Olakanlas Compound.
Prince Abdullateef died on Saturday 27th June, 2025 after a brief illness.

This was just as an industrious farmer in the Okes of the Aganna Compound popularly known as Julius Olori also died and his remains buried in his residence .

Prince Abdullateef returned home from Ibadan the Oyo State capital years ago after retiring from active occupation.

He was buried in the family compound of the Kofoworolas on Saturday 28th June 2025 on line with Islamic rites.

The Muslim Fidau prayers for the deceased has been scheduled to take place the following Saturday.

Prince Abdullateef is survived by wife and many children.

26/06/2025

LATEST ON COMMUNITY LAND’S TRESPASS

As the Ago-Are Community waits the hearing on a suit filed at the State High Court Saki to compel the leadership of the native assembly the Ifelodun Ago-Are Parapo and the standing committees for the Cattle Market, Ago-Are Day Celebrations (ADCEL) and other established projects of the Community to render accounts of their proceeds from particular dates, hearing on Suit HSK 14/2025 continued on Wednesday, 25th June, 2025 over the alleged trespass on community land by a corporate business company and some individuals.

At the court hearing on Wednesday, receipt of the statements of defence by the six defendants in the suit was confirmed by the court and counsel for the claimants. The first defendant in the case, Xmbolic Nigeria Ltd. has filed a counter affidavit over the allegations lodged against it in the suit.

Following the issue of counter-affidavit, the counsel for the claimants O.T. Alaka sought the permission of the court to give them time to react to it as well as the defence statements of the six defendants as appropriate. The permission was granted.

However, the counsel for the first defendant in the case (Xmbolic Nigeria Ltd.) Lagos Mr. Ben T. Ogunjobi also informed the court that contrary to the ruling that all parties should maintain the status quo on the portions of land in the suit, a tour of the area on Tuesday 24th June, 2025 revealed that the court ruling has been violated as corn was found planted on some of the grounds which were supposed to be left untouched until determination of the suit is completed.

In response to this, the counsel for the claimants stated that he was not aware of his clients violating the court ruling and that they were not involved in the violations.

The sitting judge then tasked all parties that the court would not tolerate violation of its ruling by any side.

Present at the court hearing was a manager of Xmbolic, Mr Olatunde Edunjobi, while the second to the sixth defendants who were all absent in court were represented by their counsel Mr. Oluwasesan. Several of the claimants a coalition of 31 princes of the Edu Ruling House of the Aare of Ago-Are Monarchy and the high chiefs of Ago-Are were also present. Also present was the Baale of Kajola and Okonki Chief Adegbite. However, the two witnesses listed in the defence statements of another key defendant in the suit, the Aare of Ago-Are Land were also absent.

Following the need to react appropriately to the defence statements of the defendants in the case coupled with the vacation of the court to begin in July 2025, further hearing in the suit has been adjourned to 23rd September, 2025.

It would be recalled that the first appearances in court on the suit was made by the parties on Tuesday 20th May, 2025.
Ago-Are territorial grounds alleged to have been trespassed include Aba Raimi, Budo Ago, Bonni, Ajalolo, Budo Awaye and other farming settlements of the Community covering a total land mass of about 1,000 acres.

14/06/2025

WARNING FROM OTHER AFRICAN LEADERS

11/06/2025

TRESPASS ON COMMUNITY LAND:
DA PADA SLOGAN EVOLVES AT CITY HALL
As the efforts to sanitize public administration in Ago-Are continues, an extraordinary meeting convened at the instance of the Palace of His Royal Majesty the Aare of Ago-Are Land on Tuesday 10th June, 2025 at the City Hall has evolved a new slogan in town. The slogan going round the nooks and crannies of the Community is now ‘Da Pada’ which when translated literally means ‘Refund it back to the payer’.

The extraordinary meeting which was attended by the monarch in person witnessed accusations and counter-accusations by participants as key appointment holders directly involved in the issues raised made efforts to clear their names and defend their family reputations.

The bubble burst as many facts erstwhile unknown to the majority of the people in the Community were revealed at the occasion.

Sundry issues were taken up at the meeting. But the ones which drew attention most was the land trespass matters, royalties coming in from the Cattle Market, realized income from the Ago-Are Day Celebration (ADCEL) as well as levies and donations collected at the annual general meetings of the native assembly the Ifelodun Ago-Are Parapo.

On allegations of land trespass and insinuations that some personalities in town must have collected some gratifications from those accused of trespass, the stand of most speakers at the meeting still remains that no land would be conceded to any trespasser be it an individual or a corporate body.

It would be recalled that seven out of the eight high chiefs of Ago-Are had filed a suit at the State High Court Saki earlier in June 2025 summoning the Board of Trustees of the Ifelodun Ago-Are Parapo to come forward and render accounts of the income accruing from the entitled royalty payment from the Ago-Are Cattle Market, the AGMs taking place in August every year and the ADCEL.

Before this, the coalition of high chiefs and key members of the paramount ruling house of the Ago-Are Kingdom had filed a suit against some alleged land trespassers which include individuals and a Lagos-based business venture Xmbolic Nigeria Ltd.

A member of the Board of Trustees, Ifelodun Ago-Are Parapo who was charged with auditing of accounts on the various projects of the Community made it clear that no money came into the community accounts since the beginning of Year 2025 to date. He explained further that money received from the monarch so far was the sum of forty thousand for the burial ceremony of the immediate past head of the Edu Ruling House Late Prince Lawal Oyebisi Olaniyonu and another sum of sixty thousand naira for preparations of an AGM of the native assembly making a total of one hundred thousand naira. The auditor stated further that the Executive Council of the Ifelodun Parapo actually applied wisdom not to submit its bank account to the Palace for the transfer of payment of an alleged N15 million into it recently as a cautionary measure not to be roped into the controversies surrounding the disputes among the chiefs as well as that of members of the royal family opposing what they called maladministration of the Community.

Various peacemakers including elder elites of the town and a delegation of the relative royal family from Ofiki led by their monarch had earlier intervened into the crisis. While it appears that some individuals fingered as making desperate attempts to hoodwink the Community into sweeping the outstanding issues now at public discuss under the carpet are making the matters worse, the unwavering stand of the Chairman of the native assembly and the executive committee to uphold credibility and accountability has become the talk of the town.

The Chairman, Ifelodun Parapo Engr Omotoso had earlier threatened that if positive solutions are not employed into the ongoing crisis he would resign his appointment, emphasizing that he had his family name to protect and that he did not believe on falsehood as a good style for public administration. The incumbent Exco members has also mooted the stand individually.

06/06/2025

Wishing all our Readers and Viewers happy Eid El Kabir

03/06/2025

Breaking News

LAND TRESPASS, CATTLE MARKET, ADCEL FACE PROBE

A new dimension has entered the recent struggles among the traditional leaders in Ago-Are to uphold accountability and credibility in their leadership.

In addition to the suit instituted against alleged land trespassers and their collaborators by the coalition of high chiefs and members of the paramount ruling house of Ago-Are in May this year, the high chiefs of the Community constituting the kingmakers have dragged the relevant committees of the native assembly the Ifelodun Parapo to the law court to render accounts of the royalties coming from the Ago-Are Cattle Market as well as the income realized from the 2023 edition of the Ago-Are Day Celebration (ADCEL 2023).

The latest efforts are calculated towards sanitizing native administration of the Community which has been called to question in recent times.

The State High Court Saki has served the relevant key members of the Parapo with the writ of summons to appear before it and come to render various incomes entrusted into their hands by the Community. Names of the defendants were those making up the Board of Trustees of the native assembly entrusted with keeping accounts of the proceeds and rendering account in due course to the Community at its appropriate offices.

Community incomes and expenditure first came under probe in 2024 which sparked off controversies in the town.

Meanwhile, reports reaching us from reliable sources indicated that a defendant in the land trespass suit Xmbolic Nigeria Ltd. has dragged some people to court over the matter arising from its alleged controversial land occupation.

01/06/2025

Breaking News!!!

FRESH LAND TRESPASS AT KAJOLA

Reports reaching us has indicated discovery of a fresh land trespass at the Kajola farm settlement in Ago-Are.

The trespass allegedly covers about 130 acres and the farmers were evicted illegally.

Details later.

28/05/2025

UPDATE ON COMMUNITY LAND’S TRESPASS:
HEARING CONTINUES AT HIGH COURT

Hearings continued at the Oyo State High Court Saki on Wednesday 28th May, 2025 on the Suit No. HSK/14/2025 filed by the coalition of Ago-Are high chiefs and representative members of the Edu Ruling House (Ile Aare) against the Lagos-based company Xmbolic Nigeria Ltd and others.

At the court hearing, it was made known that all the defendants in the suit including those who had allegedly refused earlier to take the court summons (first and second defendants) have been served with them. The sitting judge also displayed the photographs of felled economic trees, bulldozer clearing farmlands and moulded cement blocks as some exhibits submitted by the claimants as proof of continued trespass activities on the land territories after the writ of summons have been issued out to the defendants.

However, following the ruling of the court that all parties in the case must maintain the status quo pertaining to the alleged land trespass, the defence counsel gave an undertaking to prevail on his clients that all activities on the disputed territories by Xmbolic Nigeria Ltd. and other defendants will not continue pending the determination of the suit by the high court.

Counsel for the Ago-Are high chiefs and princes representing the paramount ruling house of the Community as claimants in the suit had filed an application for ex parte motion to stop the defendants in the case from all activities on the disputed territories pending the determination of the case by the court.

By the court’s ruling, parties in the suit are expected to return to their former positions on the land which means that Xmbolic and other defendants must withdraw from the land territories allegedly trespassed upon until judgement has been delivered by the honourable high court.

At the court hearing, a manager of the Xmbolic Company Mr. Olatunde Edunjobi stood for it as the first defendant in the suit. However, another barrister Mr A.O. Alaka stood for the defence counsel Mr. Ben T. Ogunjobi who was absent.

The case has been adjourned till 25th June, 2025.

20/05/2025

TRESPASS ON COMMUNITY LAND:
HEARING BEGINGS AT HIGH COURT

The Oyo State High Court Saki, has begun hearing on the suit against a Lagos-based company Xmbolic Nigeria Ltd and others brought to it by the coalition of Ago-Are high chiefs and competent representative members of the paramount Edu Ruling House of Ago-Are Kingdom (Ile Aare).

Following an earlier warning given to the company and other identified trespassers to vacate the trespassed portions of the Ago-Are territorial land which was allegedly ignored, the suit had been instituted against them promptly to prevent ugly situations.

In the court appearances on Tuesday 20th May, 2025, it was made known that the first defendant in the suit Xmbolic Nigeria Ltd. had refused to accept the court summons forwarded to it through the bailiff. The bailiff had reported that the security at the gates of the Company situated at Lekki in Lagos had prevented him from meeting the appropriate officials of the Company to submit the court summons, telling him that anyone who would enter the premises must know someone within and call him on phone to come and endorse his entry.

The counsel for the claimants submitted that all efforts to serve the writ of summons to the first and second defendants in the suit proved abortive. He then prayed the court for an order granting the claimants to serve the writ of summons to the defendants through their facilities and moving vehicles located at the trespassed territories of Ago-Are which include Aba Raimi, Budo Ago, Bonni, Ajalolo and other farming settlements of the Community. The court has granted the prayer.

The writ of summons addressed to the second defendant in the suit is granted to be pasted on the family compound of the second defendant in the Community.

However, while the company did not take the writ of summons from the bailiff at the police station its representative a director of the company and some members of the staff were present in court.

Earlier on Monday, the company's representative had appeared at the Divisional Police Headquarters Atisbo South Local Government Development Area Ago-Are on invitation over an allegation of willful and illegal destruction of economic trees (mostly Shea butter and locust bean trees whose fruits are essential food ingredients among other uses) on Ago-Are territorial grounds where the Company has allegedly trespassed by sawyers and other persons working for it. This was based on the report lodged at the police station by members of the Edu Ruling House. He narrated how the company got into the territory in its investment efforts adding that it has a certificate of occupancy on the trespassed territories.

At the preliminary investigations conducted by the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) the Chairman of the native assembly Ifelodun Ago-Are Parapo, Engr Omotoso and the treasurer as well as the high chiefs of the Community were present to corroborate the allegations against the defendant investment company. He narrated how the issues of trespass had been taken to the Oyo State Anti-Land Grabbing Agency and how some members of the Oyo State Assembly had attempted to intervene in the matter allegedly in support of the company. He however stated emphatically that Ago-Are is not ready and will not be willing under any pressure to concede any part of its territory to any trespasser.

One of the high chiefs, the Sobaloju of Ago-Are Land also narrated how representatives of Xmbolic had visited the palace for some negotiations which were all turned down in his presence and how they had travelled to Ibadan over the issue, adding that Agunrege cannot and is not claiming ownership of the portions of Ago-Are territories under investigation. Another high chief the Jagun of Ago-Are Land who is a professional on land use matters also added his voice to point out the illegality of what Xmbolic workers were doing on the trespassed land covering 1,000 acres.

Also present at the Divisional Police headquarters was the state high court bailiff who narrated his efforts in travelling to Lagos to get the Company served with the writ of summons and how he was neither allowed to enter the premises nor to see the management.

Further hearing on the suit has been adjourned to 28th May, 2025.

Ago-Are Year Review

04/07/2025

29/06/2025

29/06/2025

28/06/2025

26/06/2025

14/06/2025

11/06/2025

06/06/2025

03/06/2025

01/06/2025

28/05/2025

20/05/2025

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