The Sao Family of Oba Ile community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State has denied allegations that former Vice Chancellor of Wesley University, Ondo Town, Prof. Olu Aderounmu, illegally sold parcels of ancestral land valued at over N200 million.
The dispute surfaced after some factional members of the family accused Prof. Aderounmu of unauthorized land transactions, alleging that he was not a biological member of the family and therefore lacked authority over the property. In a statement signed by High Chief Tunde Afare Faloye, Chief Olusola Aderounmu, Chief Abayomi Faloye, and Elder Igbekele Fabilola, the group warned potential buyers that any transactions linked to the professor were “illegal, null and void.”
“We warn all buyers.
Those transactions are illegal. Any development on illegally acquired land will be at the buyer’s own risk,” the statement read.
However, in a counter statement issued on Sunday by Mr. Gabriel Ogundari on behalf of the Sao Family, the group dismissed the allegations as false and misleading. According to the family, the land in question belongs to Prof. Aderounmu’s maternal lineage, the Ogundari stock, which had been affirmed in multiple court rulings.
“The claims of Prof. Aderounmu’s land grabbing and sale of ancestral lands worth N200 million are not only baseless but also a gross misrepresentation of facts,” the statement said. “This is a clear case of gangsterism by a minority over the majority, with blatant disregard for court judgments.”
The family cited judgments from the Ondo State High Court (Suit No. AK/144/2016) and the Court of Appeal (CA/AK/66/2020), which they said restrained certain chiefs from disposing of the disputed ancestral land.
“Despite these judgments in favour of the Fagoroyo stock, some individuals have continued to invade and convert family lands, hiding under their chieftaincy titles,” the statement added.
The Sao Family urged the public to be cautious in dealing with disputed land transactions, while calling on authorities to investigate and ensure that the rule of law is upheld.
“The rights of all legitimate descendants must be protected, and those responsible for illegal actions must be held accountable,” it concluded.
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