Ondo task force obtains warrant for Fawehinmi, denies alleged harassment
By Boye Oyeyemi
The Ondo State Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force has obtained a warrant for the arrest of Olanrewaju Fawehinmi after he allegedly failed to honour several invitations over a petition filed against him.
The development followed reports alleging that operatives of the task force harassed a 104-year-old woman and threatened members of the Fawehinmi family with arrest. However, the agency denied the allegations, saying its investigation was focused solely on Olanrewaju.
According to the task force, several attempts to secure Olanrewaju’s appearance before it were unsuccessful, as he allegedly neither honoured the invitations nor responded to calls from its officials. It added that his lawyer later contacted the agency and referred to a suit filed against the task force.
The agency maintained that the filing of a court action did not automatically halt its investigative duties, arguing that it remained authorised to act on petitions before it unless specifically restrained by a court order.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, who chairs the task force, described the allegations as an attempt to distract the agency from its mandate to tackle land grabbing and enforce due process in land-related matters.
Ajulo clarified that the arrest warrant was issued against Olanrewaju and not the elderly woman or any other member of his family. He urged the person named in the warrant to present himself to the appropriate authorities to respond to the allegations.
The commissioner also expressed concern over the public exposure of the 104-year-old woman, saying elderly people should be treated with dignity and protected from disputes involving other members of their families.
Ajulo further cautioned lawyers and media organisations against using court processes or unverified reports to frustrate the task force’s activities. He urged journalists to seek responses from all parties before publishing reports on contentious matters.
