Members of the Afonja Descendants Union in the Ilorin Emirate of Kwara State have called on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, and other relevant authorities to intervene in an alleged illegal takeover of their ancestral lands. The union expressed these concerns in a statement signed on Saturday by its President, Alhaji Abdulkareem Olola Kasum, and General Secretary, Alhaji Hassan Amao.

The group alleged that certain individuals are using the influence of the Emir to acquire lands belonging to various families, including the Idiape family. According to the union, these activities are concentrated around the Modi and Ogundele axis of the Ilorin metropolis, where individuals are accused of unlawfully claiming customary family lands.

The statement further alleged that a personal assistant to the Emir has been using his palace position to influence the purported land takeover. The union claimed that these actions are being carried out while portraying the affected families as being in conflict with the Emir.

"According to verified facts, one of the Emir's personal assistants has been playing significant roles, using his position in the Emir's palace to influence the alleged takeover of our family land at the Modi and Ogundele axis, while trying to portray our family as having issues with His Royal Highness, the Emir of Ilorin," the statement read.

The group, however, dismissed claims of any rift with the monarch, stressing that the Idiape family holds the Emir in high esteem and remains loyal to the Ilorin Emirate.

"We categorically state that the Afonja Descendants Union of the Idiape family has no issue whatsoever with the Emir of Ilorin. We will continue to respect and support him at all times," the statement added.

The union condemned the alleged name-dropping by palace aides, describing such acts as criminal and capable of triggering avoidable tension if not urgently addressed.

It urged the Emir to caution his personal assistants against using his revered position to intimidate or dispossess families of their ancestral lands.

The ADU also appealed to members of the public, traditional authorities, and government agencies to investigate the situation surrounding the Modi and Ogundele land axis, with a view to ensuring an amicable and lawful resolution.

Reacting to the allegations, the spokesman for the Emir of Ilorin, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona, dismissed the claims as baseless.

Speaking with Arewa PUNCH on Sunday, Arowona described the allegation that one of the Emir's personal assistants was using his position to influence the takeover of family land as "mischievous and unfounded."

He insisted that "The allegation that one of the Emir's personal assistants has been using his position in the Emir's palace to influence the alleged takeover of family land at the Modi and Ogundele axis is baseless and mischievous, and should not be a subject of media judgment," he said.

Thus, Arowona advised the aggrieved family to channel their complaints through appropriate authorities within the Ilorin Emirate Council or seek redress in a court of law rather than resorting to the media.