In a dramatic twist to a heated land tussle, the people of Ilara Remo, Remo North Local Government, have scored a rare victory against what they describe as a ruthless attempt by Governor Dapo Abiodun’s government and its corporate allies to snatch away their ancestral land.
On August 18, 2025, Justice O.S. Oloyede of the High Court in Sagamu extended an injunction stopping the state and two private firms—Industrial Platform Remo Limited and Arise Integrated Industrial Platform—from touching the 15,309-acre farmland that generations of Ilara Remo families have depended on. The order, which now runs until January 13, 2026, has put a temporary lock on the controversial project and given the community breathing space in a battle that pits ordinary villagers against the full machinery of government and big business.
The lawsuit, marked HCS/377/2025, was filed by 19 respected community leaders, including the Lisa of Ilara Remo, Chief Samuel Olukoya Sodunola, and the Oliwo Egudu, Chief Babatunde Ogunfeso. Their petition names Governor Abiodun, the state’s Attorney General, the Bureau of Lands, and the two companies as defendants in what villagers insist is nothing less than a coordinated land-grab scheme.
Community lawyer, Dr. Olumide Ayeni, told the court that bulldozers and surveyors backed by the government have already begun trespassing, erecting buildings, and even selling off parts of the land—all without the consent of its rightful custodians. He warned that if the companies are allowed to continue unchecked, the damage to farmlands, livelihoods, and family homes would be “irreversible and beyond financial repair.”
“These lands are not just soil—they are the heritage, the food basket, and the lifeline of Ilara Remo,” Ayeni declared. “What the government is doing is robbing an entire people of their history and their future.”
For now, the injunction represents more than just a legal reprieve—it is a symbol of resistance. The villagers of Ilara Remo, armed with little more than their voices and the law, have shown they are not powerless in the face of state-backed corporate aggression.
But the fight is far from over. When the court reconvenes in January, the government and its business partners will have to explain why their hunger for industrial expansion should come at the expense of an entire community’s survival.
Until then, Ilara Remo stands as a living reminder that when people rise to defend their land and heritage, even the might of government can be checked.