Land Dispute: Family Appoints New leadership

By Niyi Olutunde, Akure

Subsequent to the removal of estwhile leader of the family, the Arijodi/Ologunmolaare family in Akure South Local Government area of Ondo State has appointed Mr. Boluwaji Ajayi Aladekanye as head of their family.

The appointment of Adekanye followed the removal of Chief Mrs. Taye Ologede, who the court had ordered to convey a meeting of the family to resolve dispute over family land.

Recall that the Ondo state High Court, sitting in Akure, presided over by Justice Aderemi Adegoroye has ordered the Arijodi/Ologunmolaare family to resolve any dispute over land within the family. The court ordered that those who had purchased land from the family must revalidate their receipt.

However, at the meeting of the family held at the family house in Ijoka area of Akure, the Arijodi/Ologunmolaare family removed, Ologede and appointed Aladekanye as head of the family, while Mr. Olugbenga Omolere would serve as the Secretary.

According to Mr. Jimoh Oke, the spokesman of the family, it is abnormality and against the tradition of Akure Kingdom to have a woman as the head of the family.

The family also said the woman, Ologede, is not a bonafide member of the family as she is the only female her mother gave birth to in the family.

Oke, said the reason why they called for the meeting was to look into the crisis rocking the family and find a lasting solution to it.

According to him, “enough is enough, we must allow peace to reign in our entire family, this would be the third time of calling meeting, but Chief Mrs. Taye Ologede did not appear and in view of this, the entire family must move forward and that is why we are appointing Boluwaji Ajayi Aladekanye as our head in this family.

“We have all rejected her, Ologede as head of our family, nobody appointed or picked her as head of Arijodi/Ologunmolaare family, she is just self acclaimed head of the
family.”

Oke alleged Ologede of diverting about N15million given to her as family money without giving proper account of it. He also accused Ologede of conspiring together with the Ministry of Lands officials to be selling the lands belonging to the Arijodi/Ologunmolaare family without the consent of others family members among others offences.

Olawale Oni Akinlolu, another members of the family, who also spoke at the meeting said, “in order to allow peace to reign in our family Mrs. Taye Ologede must be removed as head of the family. Nobody appointed or picked her initially, she is just claiming the head of our family.”

Responding on his new position, Aladekanye who promised to work towards reuniting and moving the entire family forward, however, called on other members of the family to join hands with him for peace to reign in the family.