The rot in the society appears to be spreading and eating up whatever is left of the moral fabric of the society so much and so fast that wherever one turns, all that you see is everyone trying to take advantage of the other person.
There are no longer any moral safe grounds for the people for any form of rectitude; whether moral, religious or legal. Everyone is cutting corners, extorting, looting, falsifying or rent-seeking.
In our not too distant past, the family heads, traditional monarchs, the courts, places of religious worships served as the moral compasses of the society, so much so that these leaders in the society were looked upon by the rest of the society as men and women who were worthy of emulation and morally upright.
This is not to say that there were no men of questionable behaviours or character in the past, but the propensity, universality of crime, fraud etc, is too high and disturbing today.
How does it sound to hear that a monarch is jailed or being prosecuted for criminal offences? How does one explain that spiritual heads of churches or mosque are being prosecuted for criminal behaviours or that some monarchs have been reported to be harbouring and relating with kidnappers and bandits? What is the hope of a society where judges are now openly known to be hawking judgements for the highest bidders?
A few weeks ago, an Osun monarch, Oba Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, was sentenced to more than four years’ imprisonment in the U.S. for COVID-19 loan fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio had, in an August 26, 2025, statement, confirmed Oba Oloyede’s sentencing. The monarch, alongside a co-conspirator, was found guilty of exploiting COVID-19 loan programmes under the CARES Act between April 2020 and February 2022.
He was also ordered to forfeit assets and pay over $4.4 million in restitution.
It’s bad enough that a traditional ruler, who should be a man of integrity is now going to serve term in jail as a common criminal, but it is even more pathetic to think that within his domain, there is even a dispute over whether or not he should be dethroned.
Since the judgement, Ipetumodu has been unsettled, with calls mounting for the state government to decide on the monarch’s fate. Governor, Ademola Adeleke, it was reported, had directed the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Dosu Babatunde, to act on the lingering crises over the stool of Apetumodu.
The directive to the commissioner came at the time tension was reaching its peak between those who wanted the stool to remain vacant till Oba Oloyede returned and those pushing for the installation of another monarch.
Another disturbing issue concerning monarchs was the reported story of the Ogun State Government filing charges against two traditional rulers and other persons, with respect to acts of land grabbing across the state.
This was revealed in a statement signed by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN.
According to the statement, the state government filed charges of forceful takeover of land and forcible entry of land contrary to law against Oba Fatai Matanmi, the Onijoko of Ijoko Ota, as facts uncovered in investigation revealed that Oba Matanmi sold a parcel of land in 1976 for 22,000 to one Madam Irokosu, now late.
The statement added that in her lifetime, Madam Irokosu fenced the land and sold it in 2016 to the complainant who immediately took possession, adding that following her demise, Oba Matanmi began to harass the complainant, claiming that late Madam Irokosu owed him a balance of N28,000.
Although this claim was bogus, the complainant paid 5,000,000 to Oba Matanmi to let peace reign, but the Oba continued to harass the complainant, leading to the charges filed in HCT/84R/2025 The State v. Oba Fatai Matanmi.
Similarly, the state slammed another Oba, Yusuf Olasunkanmi, the Olu of Orile-Igbon, a town in Igbesa area of Ogun State, with charges of forceful entry into a land using intermediaries, and unlawfully appropriating land belonging to a complainant and many other persons.
Using cover of a judgment obtained against third parties, Oba Olasunkanmi allegedly commissioned the attachment of land and enforcement of the judgement in areas more than one kilometre away from the judgement land.
The Oba, the statement added, then chased away the legitimate occupants of the land.
Further, the state has also filed charges against another two persons, Chief Lekan Agbogun and Chief Akinbowale Beckley, who sold a complainant’s property in Mosafejo area of Abeokuta, without authority.
These accused connived and sold a third party’s property to a buyer overseas without any title claim or documents to the land and despite the presence of the complainant’s existing building on the land.
Ogungbade said, “While these defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, the state has filed these charges as a further demonstration of the state’s commitment to tackle land grabbing and criminal dealings regarding land.
“The state government assures the public that no matter the personalities involved, where the facts warrant and it is in the public interest to do so, the state will resist and redress all land grabbing actions that come to its notice.”
The Ogun State government’s bold move to check the illegal activities of the monarchs and other land grabbers is highly commendable. I do not recall any other state where this is done. It a shame that a lot of monarchs have been indulging in this while state governments, in order to be politically correct, would look the other way.
In Lagos, land grabbing has become common place and it has even become worse since the deliberate policy of playing up ethnic and religious sentiment for political gain by the political class, became the norm.
The Lagos State government and other state governments should protect the common people from these fraudulent people.
Some even drop the names of the government in their criminal conducts.
What the Ogun State government has done is simply sending the warning that nobody is above the law. It had also proved that these monarchs are not above the law.
For instance, in Lagos, a particular family dropping the names of the monarch and the state government, has been exploiting the people and grabbing their lands in Ajeromi area of the state.
They demand millions from the owners of the buildings and where they cannot meet the demand, they forcefully take these properties and sell them.
Other governors should follow suit and check the activities of these touts who are either monarchs or have access to the seat of power, who are on the prowl.
How do people who have lived in a house for over 30 years or more suddenly lose their property and there is no where to run to for help? There is so much lawlessness going on unchecked.
The Ogun example will begin to reassure the people that they can secure redress and protection from the state. This will put an end to the activities of land grabbers or at least reduce it drastically.
The government should at all times be there for the weak and those who do not have the means to pursue their cases and secure justice.
