…more houses will go down, we’re acting on court order – Chief Olokun
By Adebayo Adenrele
A renowned journalist working with the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State, BSES, Kelechi David, has called for the intervention of the state governor, Biodun Oyebanji, after the Olokun of Ifaki-Ekiti, Chief Tunji Olaiya, demolished his uncompleted four-bedroom apartment built at Esure Road, Ona Oko Ika, Ifaki.
Kelechi, who also doubles as the Chairman of the BSES Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Ekiti State Council, explained that he bought the land from one Adeyeye Olajide in 2019, which was owned by his late father, Moses Olajide.
He lamented that he took a loan to start building the house in 2019, which eventually collapsed in 2024, adding that he began rebuilding it in 2025 and completed it in March 2026, hoping to roof it very soon.
According to him, over two thousand unused blocks were also destroyed with the building, with no prior consultation or meeting with Chief Olokun, who claimed to be the new owner of the land.
“This is the house I spent my fortune to build. I took a loan and saved up salaries in order to get this, and this man did this to me.
“The house was demolished today around 4:00 p.m. I first completed it in 2024, but he went spiritual so that the building could collapse.
“After it collapsed, I rebuilt it and completed it just two weeks ago, planning to roof it very soon.
“I bought it from Mr Adeleye Olajide, whose father, Mr Moses Olajide, owned the land, and I have my evidence. Over two thousand unused blocks were also destroyed with the building, and Chief Olokun did not invite me for any negotiation,” he added.
When contacted, Chief Tunji Olaiya confirmed the demolition, saying the act was in line with the court order, which gave them permission to take the land from the former seller.
He explained that the case was not actually against the journalist but the seller, Adeleye Olajide, who was defeated in court and asked to release the land to the new owner.
Chief Olokun stated that the case was taken to court in 2016 and won the same year, while buyers who purchased the land from the former owner were invited for negotiation but no one cooperated.
He noted that the Olokun family had waited long enough for the buyers to negotiate with the new owner, adding that more buildings would still be demolished to reclaim their land.
His words: “We have a court order to do what we have done, and we have called everybody to meetings for the past two years, but they did not cooperate with us.
“Even the Kabiyesi is aware, but they did not cooperate with us. The traditional ruler mandated them to come and settle it because they bought the land from the wrong person, whom we defeated in court since 2016.
“We planned several meetings with those who bought from the person, but they didn’t cooperate with us. It’s not our fault because we have to retain our land. The Olokun family is the rightful owner of that land.
“We told them two years ago that if we executed the judgement, they wouldn’t have access to the land again and the buildings would be removed.
“It’s not our fault; it’s because they are adamant about the court instructions and order. All the buildings on the land will be cleared because the court said we should reclaim our land from the intruders.
“It’s one of our own who was selling the land, and it was him we took to court in 2016, not the people who bought land from him. The court even asked the man to pay us N20.5 million, and we are still going to pursue him on that.
“We won the case ten years ago. We have waited long enough for them to respond. It’s not our fault, and they didn’t want to cooperate. The remaining houses there will come down.
“However, we are not interested in bringing down any building if they negotiate with the Olokun family. If there’s trouble, you have to settle with the owner of the land, and if someone sells land to you and he has been defeated in court, you have no option but to align with the demands of the current owner who won the case in the court of law.”