NAN Staff Seek Urgent Protection Over Alleged Land Grabbing, Threats In Ibadan
Tension is mounting in Ibadan as staff members of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) have formally petitioned the Oyo State Real Property Protection Agency over what they describe as a brazen invasion of their legally acquired housing estate land.
The affected workers are alleging forceful entry, destruction of property and threats to life on a 35-acre parcel of land located at Butubutu Village in Ona-Ara Local Government Area, on the outskirts of Ibadan.
In a petition dated December 11, 2025, and signed by their solicitor, Ademola Sodamade, the employees accused suspected land speculators of unlawfully encroaching on the property, dismantling boundary beacons and signposts, and damaging installations on the site.
The petition named Mr. Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Mrs. Oluwamayowa Ayinde and Mr. Adewale Owoade among verified landowners under the scheme.
According to the petitioners, the land was collectively purchased between 2013 and 2014 through a cooperative housing arrangement established by staff of the NAN Ibadan Zonal Office.
Following the acquisition, the land was surveyed, partitioned and allocated to contributors — most of them employees of the agency — after due documentation and perfection of title.
However, the workers alleged that in recent months, a group led by a man identified as Mr. Kazim, popularly known as Abija, forcefully entered the estate without authorization.
They claimed the group uprooted survey pillars, removed signposts, destroyed farm produce and openly threatened violence against legitimate owners who attempted to challenge the encroachment.
The petition further alleged that the invaders were making efforts to resell portions of the land to third parties, raising fears of multiple claims and prolonged litigation.
Chairman of the NAN Housing Estate Scheme, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, described the development as distressing and dangerous.
He said the housing project was conceived more than a decade ago to enable staff members become property owners through structured monthly contributions.
“It is alarming that hoodlums would invade land legitimately purchased by hardworking Nigerians, destroy installations and issue threats to kill anyone who resists them,” Balogun stated.
“We are law-abiding citizens, and we expect the government to protect our rights and investments.”
The petitioners said copies of their complaint — along with purchase agreements, survey plans, photographs and other supporting documents — had also been forwarded to the Olubadan Committee on Land Grabbing, the Office of the Deputy Governor and the Chief Press Secretary to the Oyo State Governor.
The workers are now calling for immediate intervention to halt further encroachment, restore boundary demarcations and guarantee the safety of landowners.
The incident once again brings to the fore the persistent challenge of land grabbing and property disputes in parts of Oyo State, where enforcement of real property protection laws has become critical to preventing violence and safeguarding legitimate ownership.
As of press time, those accused in the petition had not publicly responded to the allegations.
