Lieutenant Colonel Nurudeen Alowonle Yusuf, the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Elemona of Ilemona Land in Kwara State, has denied allegations of land grabbing, property demolition and other misconduct levelled against him by a lawyer and NBA Branch Chairman, N.D. Abdulsalam, describing the claims as false, malicious and defamatory.
Yusuf, through his solicitors, disclosed that he had instituted criminal and civil defamation proceedings against Abdulsalam over allegations allegedly published by the lawyer on October 27, 2026.
However, Abdulsalam has maintained his allegations, insisting that the controversy arose from a personal land dispute involving the alleged demolition of his residential property and formed part of what he described as a wider pattern of land seizures, property destruction, assaults and intimidation affecting residents of communities around Ilemona.
In a statement issued on behalf of Yusuf, his solicitors said the allegations published by Abdulsalam were entirely false and lacked factual or evidential support.
The lawyers maintained that the publications were deliberately intended to damage their client’s reputation, integrity and standing in society.
According to them, Yusuf responded by filing a direct criminal complaint for criminal defamation under Section 391 of the Penal Code, registered as Suit No. UACIII/CRP/341/2026.
They also disclosed that a separate civil defamation suit, Suit No. KWS/566/2026, had been instituted against Abdulsalam.
The solicitors said the court processes were subsequently taken to the lawyer for service but alleged that he refused to appear to receive the documents when contacted by telephone.
They explained that the refusal prompted their client to approach the court for a bench warrant under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Kwara State.
The lawyers further claimed that Abdulsalam was evading lawful arrest and that the court documents were eventually served through substituted service authorised by the court.
They also dismissed the lawyer’s allegation that officials in Abuja had threatened his life, insisting that the contact made with him was solely for the purpose of serving the court processes.
The solicitors accused Abdulsalam of taking his complaints to the media instead of responding to the legal proceedings, arguing that he should present his allegations and evidence before the appropriate court.
They added that Yusuf had instructed them to pursue all available legal remedies to protect his interests and ensure that justice was served.
However, Abdulsalam rejected the suggestion that he had been summoned by a court over the original land dispute or deliberately avoided any judicial proceedings relating to the alleged demolition of his property.
He maintained that his complaint was fundamentally about the alleged seizure of his land and destruction of two residential buildings by persons acting on behalf of the traditional ruler.
According to the lawyer, the dispute began after representatives of Yusuf contacted him concerning a parcel of land he claimed to have legally purchased from the traditional ruler’s father and his son, whom he identified as a former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly.
Abdulsalam said he possessed documents relating to the transaction, insisting that he was given relevant papers confirming his purchase of the property.
He explained that after acquiring the land, he invested in developing it, constructing two residential buildings comprising two-bedroom flats.
The lawyer alleged that Yusuf’s representatives subsequently approached him, expressing interest in acquiring the property for another purpose.
“They called me from Elemona that the ADC wanted to buy my land. They wanted to use it for something. I said no, I was not selling,” Abdulsalam said.
He claimed that despite rejecting the proposal and reaching no agreement to transfer ownership of the property, he was later informed that soldiers had arrived at the site alongside a bulldozer to demolish the buildings.
According to him, the structures were pulled down without any concluded agreement concerning the acquisition of the land.
Abdulsalam further claimed that he possessed voice recordings of conversations with a brother of Yusuf, which he said could help establish the sequence of events surrounding the dispute.
Following the alleged demolition, the lawyer said he contacted the president of the Offa Descendants Union to seek intervention and a possible resolution.
He explained that community leaders subsequently intervened and appealed to him to allow the matter to be resolved through negotiations.
According to Abdulsalam, the president of the Offa Descendants Union asked him to leave the matter in the hands of community leaders and assured him that he would receive ₦25 million as compensation.
The lawyer, however, alleged that the promised compensation had not been paid despite the intervention and assurances.
He maintained that the demolition of his buildings and the alleged failure to fulfil the compensation agreement formed the basis of his grievances against Yusuf.
Abdulsalam said he was prepared to provide documents relating to the land transaction, photographs of the demolished buildings and recordings of conversations he claimed were connected to the dispute.
Beyond his personal experience, the NBA Branch Chairman alleged that other residents and landowners in communities around Ilemona had experienced similar disputes involving land ownership, alleged encroachment and demolition of properties.
He claimed that several people had complained about losing their lands or having their properties destroyed, while some residents allegedly encountered pressure to seek reconciliation with the traditional ruler when they attempted to report their grievances.
The lawyer also alleged that some residents who went to their farms had been assaulted, claiming that complaints over such incidents had not always resulted in the remedies sought by those affected.
He further referenced a neighbouring community whose traditional ruler, according to him, had complained about alleged encroachment on land.
Abdulsalam also claimed that the ancestral settlement of the Offa people had been affected by the disputes, alleging that both elderly and younger residents had lost access to lands they considered their ancestral properties.
Responding specifically to the claims by Yusuf’s solicitors that a bench warrant had been sought against him, Abdulsalam insisted that there was no court summons against him concerning the original land dispute which he had failed to honour.
He argued that the criminal and civil defamation proceedings instituted against him were being presented in a manner capable of diverting public attention from the alleged demolition of his property.
The lawyer maintained that he believed the defamation cases were connected to the land dispute and intended to discredit him before he could present his evidence and allegations to the public.
Meanwhile, Yusuf’s solicitors, in their statement, also introduced the case of one Suara Agidingbadi, whom they alleged had admitted in a confessional statement to unlawful possession of firearms.
The lawyers disclosed that Agidingbadi had been charged to court by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Kwara State.
They said the confessional statement and the first page of the charge sheet had been attached to their response as supporting documents.
The solicitors referenced the case while challenging what they described as Abdulsalam’s repeated attempts to introduce Agidingbadi’s matter into the public discussion.
The controversy has placed the traditional ruler and the NBA Branch Chairman at the centre of competing allegations, with Yusuf’s legal representatives insisting on the defamation proceedings while Abdulsalam maintains that the central issue remains the alleged demolition of his property, disputed land ownership and unpaid compensation.
While Yusuf has denied the allegations through his solicitors, Abdulsalam insists that he has documentary and other evidence to support his claims.