₦airaland Forum

By Usman Ibrahim 

In a country where the rich and powerful often behave like they are above the law, the ongoing land-grabbing scandal involving Brigadier General Ojogbane Adegbe, former Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, is not just a personal dispute but it is a chilling reflection of the rot in our system.



Here is the ugly truth: a man who once stood next to the highest office in the land is now accused of seizing a piece of land in Lugbe, Abuja: a land bought and paid for by an ordinary Nigerian, Mr. Raimi Lawal Omoye, in 2010. This was not a corner of the bush. 

This was someone’s dream; his hope of building a home for his children and his children’s children. But that dream is now under siege by a man who wore the uniform of discipline but allegedly acts like a common land predator.



According to Omoye, in 2018 he received a call from a concerned citizen that his land was being trespassed. He rushed to the scene, only to face a gang of thugs who nearly assaulted him. For safety, he backed off but the trauma lingered. It wasn’t until 2021 that he learned the shocking identity of the alleged invader: none other than Brigadier General Ojogbane Adegbe.



From that point, the injustice unfolded like a script from a crime thriller. Omoye attempted to reach the General, but his efforts were ignored. The land, originally over a hectare, was being quietly partitioned into commercial plots and sold piece by piece without the rightful owner’s consent. This isn’t just theft. It is calculated, state-backed oppression.



Adegbe didn’t just allegedly take land, he took away years of savings, emotional investment, and the foundational future of a man who followed the rules. Omoye did what every citizen is told to do; buy legally, secure your documents, follow due process. Yet, none of that protected him from a military officer with power and proximity to the corridors of influence.



This case, now in the Federal High Court in Lugbe, stinks of everything wrong with Nigeria’s land system and power structure. During the May 8, 2025 hearing, Omoye presented all his documents to prove ownership. But when it was time for cross-examination, the lawyer representing the General asked for an adjournment. Delay tactics, familiar to every Nigerian who’s ever tried to challenge the powerful in court.



The matter has now been postponed until June 5, 2027, two more years for a man who’s already waited 17 years to secure his rightful land. Injustice delayed is injustice deepened. While Omoye waits, the land continues to vanish under bulldozers and cement, parceled out in 50 by 100 plots, each plot a slap in the face of fairness.



But this is bigger than Omoye. This is about a culture of impunity that has hollowed out our institutions. A military officer, trained and paid by taxpayers to protect the country, allegedly turns around to intimidate a helpless citizen. And he does so not under the cover of night, but boldly because he knows how things work here. He understands that influence can bend rules, stall courts, and silence victims.



This is the Nigeria we’ve become: where generals allegedly grab land like war spoils, and the poor are left to beg courts for mercy. And if a man like Omoye with valid papers and documentation can be treated this way, what hope is there for thousands of Nigerians across the country facing similar land thefts but without even the resources to go to court?



This reminds us of the Magodo land crisis in Lagos, the Apo Mechanic Village evictions in Abuja, and the countless silent displacements in rural communities where “investors” arrive with bulldozers and fake titles. The powerful never build on sand—they build on stolen land, soaked in tears and silence.



What’s worse is that these are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a system that rewards abuse and punishes honesty. Where are the regulators? Where is the Department of Development Control? Where is the Nigerian Army’s disciplinary body? Are these institutions now instruments for the privileged to weaponize against the voiceless?



If this land-grab story does not anger you, you’re not paying attention. When those in uniform break the law instead of upholding it, when they use their status to suffocate justice, they don’t just harm individuals—they weaken the very idea of society. They make lawlessness a template for the next generation.

This is not just about reclaiming one hectare in Lugbe. It is about reclaiming our sense of justice, our right to dignity, and the idea that no one no matter how highly ranked is above the law.



If General Adegbe is innocent, let the courts declare it. But if he is not, then this case must become a watershed moment. Not just for Mr. Omoye, but for every Nigerian who has ever been told, “There’s nothing you can do.”

 To this end, thie is a call for the President, FCT Minister, the highly respected heads of the Nigerian Army, Civil society organizations and every well meaning Nigerians to rise and stand up against this injustice.

Pathetic. But let hear from the other party.

Let hear from Mr soldiers too??

Let him report the matter to human right radio a.ka Brekete and have faith that God is going to use the ordinary president Dr. Ahmed Isa to get justice.

Similar thing is happening around Fo1 kubwa,Asokoro close to Mogadishu barracks and now this one.

That's why I sold off my plot around FO1 to avoid issues like this.

Currently,there are land crisis brewing around that zone,some with conflicting documents such as LOCAL govt papers and FCDA papers and many more over lapping allocations.

To say that everything is normal is to say the least. They purposefully create this lacuna just for some ingrates to benefits from the confusion...I have seen double allocation on federal govt plots which was deliberately done just to make money and cause people more problems than solution.

In Nigeria,anything can happen.

Could it be Patience Jonathan behind the landgrab and run style??

Ibechris2:
Similar thing is happening around Fo1 kubwa,Asokoro close to Mogadishu barracks and now this one.

That's why I sold off my plot around FO1 to avoid issues like this.

Currently,there are land crisis brewing around that zone,some with conflicting documents such as LOCAL govt papers and FCDA papers and many more over lapping allocations.

To say that everything is normal is to say the least. They purposefully create this lacuna just for some ingrates to benefits from the confusion...I have seen double allocation on federal govt plots which was deliberately done just to make money and cause people more problems than solution.

In Nigeria,anything can happen.

My Chief, apologies for the bother. I’ve sent you a private message and also quoted you on another thread. Kindly respond at your earliest convenience, sir. Thank you.

300wayne:
My Chief, apologies for the bother. I’ve sent you a private message and also quoted you on another thread. Kindly respond at your earliest convenience, sir. Thank you.

Ok