The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has been asked to investigate three officers from the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja for alleged contempt of court and unlawful arrest of some individuals involved in a land dispute in Osun State.

The officers, according to a legal practitioner, Tiamiyu Adegboyega, randomly arrested six members of a family, Moronkeji Sikiru, Kazeem Adebunmi, Salawudeen Abdullah, Ibrahim Mutiu, Sanusi Tajudeen, and Adegoke Taiwo, all of Okinni in Egbedore Local Government Area of the state, at different locations in December 2024, over a land dispute currently before the court.

Adegboyega, in a letter addressed to Egbetokun, claimed that the defendant in the suit, Oluyemi Ojo, was using the police to harass individuals acting on behalf of purported rightful owners of four parcels of land, Sariyu Oyefunke and Awanatu Jenrade.

He explained that Justice K.M. Akano of Osun State High Court, Ede division, had on June 24, 2024, granted full ownership of the land to Oyefunke and Jenrade.

The lawyer explained that after the judgment, Ojo, who was also claiming ownership of the land, petitioned the IG office, leading to the arrest of the six individuals on December 21, 2024.

Adegboyega asked the IG to intervene in the matter and call the officers to order and suspend further action pending the determination of a fundamental human rights suit instituted against the police on January 7, 2025.

The letter read, “These police officers claimed they came for the arrest from the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja. The aforementioned arrested persons paid through their noses for administrative bail.

“It is noteworthy that Oluyemi Ojo who wrote the petition to the police and at whose instigation police officers came to arrest in Osun State is a privy of the defendants in suit No.HED/32/2020.”

However, Ojo denied using the police to harass the individuals as alleged by Adegboyega, even as he acknowledged that he petitioned the IG to arrest them.

Ojo challenged the claimants to take the judgment that purportedly pronounced them as the rightful owner of the disputed land to the IG to prove their right.

“They have the court judgment; why are they running away? The police came to Osogbo to invite them, asking them to come with their documents to Abuja, but they didn’t go. If they have the document of the land, they should show it to the police as evidence that this is the land they bought.

“I petitioned the IG to intervene to allow the government to settle it for us. They don’t have to run anywhere,” he said.

Efforts to reach the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi proved abortive.

He did not pick up our correspondent’s call and was yet to reply to the text message sent to his line as of the time of filing this report.