Police Declare Lagos Developer Wanted Over Deadly Land Clash, He Rejects Allegations
- The Lagos state police command has declared real estate developer, Engineer Akeem Abiodun Ariori, wanted over a deadly clash
- Ariori, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Prosperous Ariori Golden Venture Limited, has rejected the allegations
- The state Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, shared more details about the unfortunate land clash in the Owode-Onirin area
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Owode-Onirin, Lagos state - A real estate developer, Engineer Akeem Abiodun Ariori, has been declared wanted over a violent land dispute in the Owode-Onirin area of Lagos state.
The violate dispute has led to the death of three people, and a police inspector was critically injured.
Source: UGC
The suspect is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Prosperous Ariori Golden Venture Limited.
Ariori’s media aide, Comrade Ogungbade Olawale, has denied the allegations, insisting he is being framed in a long-running tussle over ownership of the land.
The state Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the clash broke out on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, between traders and alleged land grabbers at Kilometre 13, Owode-Onirin.
“Three persons sustained fatal injuries, and a Police Inspector was seriously injured. The three fatally injured persons were confirmed dead when they were rushed to the hospital.”
Hundeyin said preliminary investigations linked Ariori to the violent clash.
“He is hereby declared wanted by the Lagos State Police Command as all efforts to effect his arrest and bring him to justice have so far proved abortive.”
The police also disclosed that four officers allegedly engaged by Ariori had been detained for “going on illegal duty” with him.
“I am not a land grabber”
Ariori’s aide accused rivals in the dispute of orchestrating a smear campaign.
Olawale said the violent clash was not initiated by Ariori or his workers but by “hoodlums” resisting eviction from land they had been occupying illegally.
He made this known in a statement issued and made available to Legit.ng on Thursday, August 28, 2025.
“Any claim that I am a land grabber is patently false,” the statement quoted Ariori as saying. “I am acting as a legal representative and developer for the Olowu family, who have been the lawful owners of this land since 1954.”
He said the Olowu family had defended their rights through three separate court cases – in 1994, 2010, and 2019 – all of which confirmed them as the rightful owners against the Agbajowo Scraps Dealers Association.
“The family hired me to help reclaim and develop their property. I have secured all the necessary approvals from the Lagos State Building Control Agency and the Office of the Attorney-General.”
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Source: Legit.ng
