Monarch Accused Of Using Cultists To Terrorise Residents, Destroy Properties
Speaking to SaharaReporters, a spokesperson for the Osho Kanakana family, Mr Taiwo Adewusi, alleged that Tallman has continued to sell their ancestral land despite repeated warnings and legal notices.
Residents of Makogi, a community in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have accused a local monarch, Babatunde Akanni Sonola, also known as Tallman, of orchestrating a reign of terror by allegedly deploying cultists to attack and intimidate members of the community over a protracted land dispute.
The dispute centres on claims that Babatunde Sonola has been selling plots of land that do not belong to him, particularly those belonging to the Osho Kanakana family, who say they are the rightful owners of large portions of the disputed land.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, a spokesperson for the Osho Kanakana family, Mr Taiwo Adewusi, alleged that Tallman has continued to sell their ancestral land despite repeated warnings and legal notices.
“We have court documents and traditional history to prove our ownership,” Adewusi said. “When confronted, he sent cult boys to harass and threaten us. Some of our relatives were hospitalised after an attack.”
Multiple victims spoke to SaharaReporters on Tuesday, recounting horrifying experiences involving destruction of property, physical assault, and threats to their lives—all allegedly perpetrated by cultists under the instruction of the monarch.
One of the victims, Sunday Ojeyemi, a tailor in the community, described how his shop was raided on Friday by armed cultists who reportedly carted away four of his industrial sewing machines.
VIDEO: Ogun Monarch Accused Of Using Cultists To Terrorise Makogi Residents, Destroy Properties pic.twitter.com/bPCl0kAHcu
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“My name is Sunday Ojeyemi. I was the tailor whose shop they destroyed and stole four of my industrial sewing machines. It was Tallman, the man who claims to be monarch, who sent cultists to terrorise people. They came with guns, cutlasses, and bottles,” he told SaharaReporters.
Ojeyemi said he narrowly escaped death as he was not in the shop at the time of the attack. His apprentices, however, were forced to flee for safety.
“Thank God I wasn’t at the shop that day. Things could have been worse. My apprentices ran for their lives. They could’ve been killed,” he said.
“They destroyed everything in my shop, scattered customers’ clothes, and stole machines worth N200,000 to N300,000 each. Since then, I’ve not been able to sleep at home because cultists are monitoring me.”
He identified the alleged cult leaders as Gbẹkẹ, Stubborn, Dimeji Aperanjeun, Agbara, Scorpion, Koyo, and SOJ—all of whom he claims are loyal to the monarch.
Another victim, Omotayo Kanakana, an elderly woman in the community, also recounted how her home was vandalised by suspected cultists allegedly working for Babatunde.
“Tallman sent his thugs to destroy my house with eight rooms. The Eiye cultists shattered the windows. They came with guns and cutlasses, shooting sporadically,” she said.
“They chased me, I fell, and they began to kick me. Now I can’t return to my house. My children have all been chased away. I’m pleading with the Ogun State government to save us.”
Similarly, Mulikatu Opasola, another elder in the community, said the cultists raided her son’s shop and later stormed her home in the middle of the night.
“They came around 2 am, shooting and threatening to kill us. I ran into the bush and spent the night there. My son is the breadwinner, and now his tools are gone. We’re hungry and helpless,” she said.
The community members are calling on Governor Dapo Abiodun and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene and put a stop to the alleged abuse of power and cultist violence in Makogi.
“We are begging Governor Abiodun and IGP Egbetokun to please help us. Babatunde Sonola must be stopped before more lives are lost,” Ojeyemi said.
“We are not safe. We live in fear every day. If the government does not act now, more people will be harmed.”
The Makogi community is now demanding justice, safety, and a thorough investigation into Sonola’s alleged abuse of traditional power.
Meanwhile, despite growing public outcry, Sonola reportedly ignored an invitation from the Nigerian police to respond to allegations of cultist-backed violence.Travel guides
A police invitation dated March 17, 2025, and signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Adamu Bello Muhammed of Zone 2 Police Headquarters in Onikan, Lagos, directed Babatunde to report for a fact-finding investigation on March 20, 2025.
The statement read, “This office is investigating a matter reported to the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone Police Command, Onikan, Lagos.
“In order to facilitate investigation, you are requested to report to the officer in-charge Zonal Servicom, with GSM No. 0803699**** on 20 March, 2025 by 1000hrs. Be informed that this is a fact-finding exercise in the interest of justice and fairness.”
“Accept the assurances and warm regards of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, please. Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos,” the statement added.
However, multiple sources confirmed to SaharaReporters that the monarch failed to honour the invitation.
Efforts by SaharaReporters to reach the monarch, Babatunde Sonola, were unsuccessful, as he neither answered phone calls nor responded to messages sent to him.
When SaharaReporters contacted the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, SP Omolola Odutola, she did not answer the call or respond to the message sent to her.
