An Osogbo-based lawyer, Mr. Muyideen Adeoye Galadima, is at the centre of a police investigation as operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Zone XI Zonal Command Headquarters, Osogbo, probe allegations of forgery, impersonation, and perjury over a land title document said to belong to the late legal practitioner, Barrister Tunji Abolade.
Galadima is reportedly accused of unlawfully converting a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) belonging to the deceased legal luminary and laying claim to a judgment land adjudged to Madam Sinatu Adeoye.
He is further alleged to have acted in connivance with a NIPCO filling station, the Alare-Iyiolu family, and others — including Olugbenga Aro, Latona Olaiya Tajudeen, and Alhaji Waheed Raheem — whom he allegedly induced to depose to an oath before a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo in Suit No: FHC/OS/CS/23/2026, claiming ownership of the disputed documents.
The land dispute dates back to the 1970s and concerns a vast expanse of land owned by Madam Sinatu Adeoye.
The property stretches along both sides of the Osogbo–Ikirun Road, covering areas such as Powerline, Omidiran Garden, Iyana Camp, Biket Junction Area, and Ifesowapo Community, sharing boundaries with Bidire and adjoining communities.
Investigations reveal that the dispute led to two major court actions at the State High Court in Osogbo.
In Suit No: HOS/102/80, instituted by Shittu Ladimeji & 3 Ors. on behalf of the Iyiolu Alare Family of Osogbo against Madam Sinatu Adeoye, the court declared Adeoye the lawful and genuine owner of the land — including the parcel housing the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Osogbo.
Following their loss in 1982, the Iyiolu Alare family allegedly engaged Hephzibah Holdings Limited, an estate firm owned by Deji Olugunna, to sell the same land through a Power of Attorney, despite the subsisting judgment affirming Adeoye’s ownership.
Madam Sinatu Adeoye subsequently challenged the move, asserting that the land had originally been allocated to her late father, Akande Adeoye, by Oba Bamgbola of Iyadudu Royal Family of Osogbo, and that she remains the sole surviving heir.
The dispute culminated in a second action — Suit No: HOS/71/1993 between Hephzibah Holdings Limited v. Madam Sinatu Adeoye & 4 Ors. In her counterclaim, Adeoye clearly delineated the boundaries of her land before the court.
Due to heightened tension surrounding the matter, the presiding judge, Hon. Justice R.O. Yusuf, visited the locus in quo to physically ascertain the land’s location and boundaries.
The court ultimately dismissed Hephzibah Holdings Limited’s claims, awarded costs of N2,000 against the company, and ruled decisively in favour of Madam Sinatu Adeoye.
The court granted her declaratory judgment, affirming that her counterclaim succeeded and that the survey plans tendered in both Suit Nos: HOS/102/80 and HOS/71/1993 did not exhaust the full extent of her vast landholding along the Osogbo–Ikirun Road.
The ongoing police probe reportedly stems from a petition dated February 10, 2026, signed by Barrister Lekan Alabi and addressed to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone XI, Osogbo.
The petition, titled:“Complaint of Conspiracy, Fraudulent Conversion, Perjury, Forgery, Stealing, Impersonation and Contempt”,names several individuals, including Mr. Gbenga Aro, Mr. Latona Olaiya Tajudeen, Alhaji Waheed Raheem (alias Odua), Pa Adeyanju Busari Hamzat, Mr. Sarafa Omidiji, Muili Folorunsho, Mr. Muniru Saka, and Mr. Muyideen Adeoye Galadima, among others described as judgment debtors and illegal occupants.
According to the petition, various alleged illegal occupants have been presenting different documents purportedly claiming ownership of portions of the judgment land, allegedly facilitated by Galadima through forged title documents.
The petition further alleges that these actions emboldened parties linked to the NIPCO Filling Station to demolish a warehouse under construction beside the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) office, near Biket Junction along the Osogbo–Ikirun Road.
Additionally, Galadima and his associates are alleged to have filed multiple applications before Osun State High Courts seeking to set aside the February 26, 1997 High Court judgment, rather than approaching the appellate court if dissatisfied with the ruling on the judgment creditor’s land.
Meanwhile, the complainant has urged the police to prosecute the matter upon completion of a thorough and diligent investigation.
As the investigation unfolds, the case is expected to test the integrity of land administration, judicial finality, and professional ethics within the legal community in Osogbo and beyond.
