Photos Break Hearts as Ladoke Akintola’s Once-Fancy Home Lies in Ruins
- Chief Ladoke Akintola’s once-grand Ogbomoso estate has fallen into severe decay after years of neglect and nonstop looting
- Scavengers had stripped the buildings of fittings, windows and valuables before security patrols curbed further damage
- LAUTECH has now taken over the property under a long-term lease and planned to begin phased restoration
The estate of the former Premier of Western Nigeria and the 13th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola in Oke-Ado, Ogbomoso, once symbolised authority and influence in Western Nigeria. Today, the property stands in visible decline, stripped of its grandeur and marked by years of neglect, vandalism and quiet abandonment.
Source: Facebook
A visit to the compound by a Punch reporter on January 21, 2026, revealed the extent of the decay.
The former premier’s residence was built by a man who shaped regional politics and Yoruba history. Heartbreakingly, the edifice now bears signs of systematic looting and environmental wear.
From the entrance, one of the twin gates has been forcibly cut open, offering an early sign of the damage within.
Akintola's residence overtaken by neglect
The two main structures in the compound include a two-storey building and a one-storey block. Windows, louvre blades and burglar-proof bars have been removed across most rooms. Paint has faded, ceilings have collapsed in several sections and overgrown shrubs block walkways.
Fruit trees, fountains and ornamental plants that once defined the landscape are either gone or reduced to stumps.
Inside the compound are the graves of the late premier, his wife Faderera Aduke Akintola and their son Olatokunbo Akanni Akintola. Behind the main building sits an Olympic-sized swimming pool, now dry and filled with debris. Its pipes have been removed and the surrounding space converted into a small cassava farm.
Inside the buildings, broken picture frames, cracked photographs and scattered books litter the floors. Furniture remains covered in dust, frozen in place as if awaiting occupants who never returned.
Source: Original
Toilets and kitchens are empty shells. Fittings and water closets have been stripped away, leaving bare walls and exposed openings.
Looting of Akintola's residence thrived during abandonment
A farmer working within the compound said scavengers often struck when no one was present. Moses Adegoke, who claimed to have farmed on the land for about four years, said access was usually gained through the back fence.
“We are the ones giving the place small security when we are around to farm. But anytime we leave, we don’t know what happens. We will just come back and discover that something else is missing,” he said.
According to him, the situation only improved when security personnel from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology began patrolling the area.
“It was when the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology guards started coming that we noticed nobody was entering the place again,” he added.
Neighbours recalled when the estate was still active. Political meetings, schools and small businesses once operated within the compound. That activity faded over time, creating the vacuum that looters later exploited.
LAUTECH pledges to revamp site
Akintola, assassinated during the January 15, 1966 military coup, was a lawyer, journalist and politician who served as the last premier of Western Nigeria.
His family later handed the property to LAUTECH through a lease agreement.
Coordinator of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Memorial Foundation, Yemi Adedokun, said the family had repaired the property twice before transferring responsibility.
“The family repaired the house twice in the past, but eventually it was given to LAUTECH,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor of LAUTECH, Prof Razaq Kalilu, explained that extensive damage slowed redevelopment.
“At first, the agreement was for 10 years. But when we inspected the place, we discovered that all fittings had been removed,” he said.
Kalilu said the lease was later extended to 30 years and renovation funds were included in the university’s 2026 budget. He added that security had been deployed and plans were underway to move the Institute of African Studies to the site.
LAUTECH finally introduces law
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the management of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, located in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, had announced the introduction of degree courses in arts and social sciences.
The tertiary institution, which was rated as the state's best university according to the latest ranking and long recognised for its focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, has taken a bold step towards expansion.
Source: Legit.ng
