The petition, signed by Prince Yussuf Olarinde on behalf of the family, was also sent to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police overseeing the Force Criminal Investigation Department, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the X-Squad Unit and the Police Service Commission. The family is asking for an independent investigation into the conduct of officers attached to the Satellite Police Station, Area E Command, Tactical Team Area E and the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department.
According to the petitioners, the dispute concerns the New Oguntedo Village and Satellite Town settlement, which they claim was created and allocated to the Olarinde Royal Family following a Federal Military Government acquisition and resettlement exercise in 1978. They further claimed that their ownership and possessory rights were affirmed by a 1989 judgment of the Lagos State High Court, followed by warrants of possession issued in 1997 and 2010.
The family alleged that, despite those court decisions, members have continued to face invasions, demolitions, intimidation and violence by individuals they described as land-grabbing syndicates and criminal trespassers. They also accused some police officers of allegedly providing operational protection for armed groups, restricting family members from accessing their properties and frustrating complaints made over the dispute.
Among the incidents cited was an alleged attack on Olanrewaju Olarinde on July 9, 2025, which the family described as an attempted assassination. The petitioners alleged that armed men attacked him and that repeated complaints did not result in the arrest or prosecution of those responsible. They also alleged that other members had faced shootings, assaults, threats to life and destruction of property.
The family further claimed that some of its members had been subjected to criminal proceedings that they believe were fabricated or improperly pursued as part of the wider dispute. It cited the arraignment of Yussuf Olarinde, Sanni Olarinde and the Oba-elect, Latifu Sadiku Olarinde, over alleged murder and armed robbery charges, as well as a separate case involving another family member, Tope Olarinde. These allegations have not been independently established in court.
The petition also alleged that properties belonging to members of the family were demolished, looted or occupied during the disputed incidents. The family claimed that vehicles, building materials, cash and other personal belongings worth millions of naira were either stolen or confiscated.
Against this background, the Olarinde family is asking the Inspector-General to transfer relevant case files from the Lagos State Police Command to the Force Criminal Investigation Department or another unit outside the state. It also wants the officers named in the petition investigated, allegedly stolen property recovered, suspects prosecuted where evidence supports charges, and adequate police protection provided for family members and residents of Oguntedo Village and Satellite Town.
The petition is not the family's first public complaint over the dispute. In July 2025, members of the Olarinde family staged a protest and similarly accused suspected land grabbers and some police officers of attempting to force them from their ancestral property. At the time, the family said it had previously approached the Lagos State Government and other authorities without receiving what it considered adequate intervention.
The latest petition therefore shifts the family's appeal directly to the police hierarchy, with its central demand being an investigation independent of the Lagos State Command. The family says such a process is necessary to determine whether the allegations against individual officers have merit and to establish who is responsible for the alleged attacks, property destruction and interference with its access to the disputed land.
The police position on the new allegations was not available at the time of publication. Force Public Relations Officer Iniedu Okokon could not be reached by phone, while a text message seeking his response had not received a reply when the report was filed. The allegations against the officers and other parties therefore remain claims requiring investigation and, where appropriate, determination through due legal process.

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