The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gwagwalada Branch, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, N.D. Abdulsalam, has accused Lieutenant Colonel Nurudeen Yusuf, the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Elemona of Ilemona in Kwara State, of alleged land grabbing, intimidation, abuse of power and the use of security agencies to oppress residents of neighbouring communities, particularly Offa and Ira.
Abdulsalam, who is also the Founding Partner of Lawgem LP, raised the allegations in a strongly worded statement titled, “A Call Against Impunity: The Overreach of the ADC to the President, Elemona of Ilemona Community of Kwara State.”
He alleged that the longstanding peaceful relationship between Offa and Ilemona communities had deteriorated following Yusuf’s elevation, first as President Tinubu’s ADC and subsequently as the Elemona of Ilemona.
According to him, the two communities previously enjoyed a cordial relationship built on mutual respect, but the situation had allegedly changed, with Offa increasingly subjected to what he described as oppression and territorial expansion by the Elemona.
Abdulsalam alleged that armed youth groups from Ilemona had been operating with impunity, forcibly taking over lands and intimidating residents of neighbouring communities, particularly Offa and Ira.
He claimed that the groups had resorted to intimidation and the use of state institutions, including the police and judiciary, to harass, assault and unlawfully detain individuals who resisted the alleged land acquisitions.
The NBA branch chairman cited the case of one Gani Agidingbadi, an indigene of Offa, whom he alleged was arrested while working on his farmland in Alaya by members of the Ilemona group.
According to Abdulsalam, Agidingbadi was allegedly accosted on his farmland, forcibly taken to Ilemona and subsequently accused of illegal possession of a firearm over what he described as trumped-up allegations arising from a land ownership dispute.
He claimed that Agidingbadi remained in detention, describing the incident as an example of the alleged intimidation and abuse being experienced by residents resisting the land acquisitions.
Abdulsalam further lamented that Offa, which he described as one of Kwara State’s prominent commercial, educational and cultural centres, with a longstanding history of self-reliance and community development, was allegedly being reduced to a subordinate territory under Ilemona’s influence.
He also alleged that family and privately owned lands across the region were being confiscated, while local authorities and law enforcement agencies in Kwara State appeared compromised in addressing the situation.
The lawyer expressed concern over what he described as the inability of traditional and community institutions to protect residents against the alleged land acquisitions.
He specifically suggested that the Olofa of Offa appeared constrained by the powerful federal connections surrounding the matter, while accusing the Offa Descendants Union of failing to adequately protect the community from the alleged aggressive land acquisitions.
Abdulsalam warned that the concentration of military authority, traditional influence and enormous resources in the hands of one individual posed a serious threat to democratic rights, local autonomy and the security of neighbouring communities.
He argued that the alleged use of armed groups and state institutions to settle land disputes and intimidate residents represented a dangerous departure from the principles of justice, peaceful coexistence and the rule of law.
Despite what he described as widespread silence surrounding the situation, the NBA chairman declared that he would not be intimidated by weapons, political connections or traditional authority.
“True authority lies in justice, not in impunity and unlawful power,” Abdulsalam stated.
He maintained that no individual, regardless of military position, political access or traditional title, should be above the law or use such privileges to undermine the rights and property of ordinary citizens.
The allegations raise concerns over land ownership disputes, the protection of community rights and the responsibility of security agencies to remain impartial in resolving conflicts between neighbouring communities.
Lieutenant Colonel Nurudeen Yusuf and the other individuals and institutions mentioned in the allegations were not represented in the statement provided by Abdulsalam.