Adogun Itele Family Asks Court To Stop Obasanjo From Trespassing On Their Land
LAGOS FEBRUARY 17TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Eighty-two years old, head of Adogun Itele family, Pa Nurudeen Akapo and four other principal members of the family have asked an Ogun state high court to restrain former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his farm, Obasanjo Farms Nigeria Limited, from further trespassing on their family land measuring 464.77 hectares situated at Sogunro-Itele Awori, in Ado-Odo, Ogun state.
Other claimants in the suit are: Mr. Sunday Owotolu, Chief Taoreed Dada and Alhaji Monsuru Yusuf.
The claimants through their lawyer, Gbenga Ajala ,in suit number HCT/185/2021 filed against For president Obasanjo (1st defendant) Obasanjo Farms Limited (2nd defendant) and Bureau of Lands and Survey, Ogun state (3rd defendant), are praying the court to cancel the purported interest of the former President and that of the 2nd defendant, Obasanjo farms Nigeria limited on the disputed land.
In their statement of claims, the family stated that they are the affirmed founder and the first settler of Itele land comprising of Ayetoro-Itele, Odan-Otun, Ajasa, Ejigun, Aparadija, Adeleye, Efura, Kongi, Lafenwa, Olugbode, Oguntedo, Beyioku, Egunjobi, Senikoro, Onifade, and Sogunro villages.
The claimants added that the land in dispute falls within their family’s comprehensive Survey Plan No-PEG/06/2001/025 drawn by surveyor J.O Olorunkunle and Plan No LA/49/1946 drawn by Surveyor Liasu Smith respectively.
The claimants stated that sometime in 2012 former President Obasanjo and his farm applied to the Bureau of Lands and Survey, Ogun state for issuance of Certificate of Occupancy on the disputed land. They stated that immediately they became aware of it, they objected to it but the former president through his aide, Chief Abraham Akanle allegedly subjected their family members to series of Police arrests and harassment.
The family stated that the ownership of the entire Itele land including the land in dispute had been judicially affirmed by the Court of Appeal in three separate judgements.
They stated that in November 2020 the 1st defendant (Chief Obasanjo) allegedly contacted them (claimants) through the immediate past Attorney- General of Ogun state, Dr. Olumide Ayeni SAN requesting for amicable settlement of the dispute. According to the claimants, they were present alongside the first defendant, adding that the former President presented two Survey Plans and insisted that the land belonged to him adding that all efforts to make the former President disclose his vendor proved abortive.
They added that sometime in 2020, the claimants’ family had a meeting with representatives of the 1st and 2nd defendants where it was unanimously agreed that before ownership of the land in dispute could be resolved, the 1st and 2nd defendants must disclose the size of their land and the name of the family through whom they derived their title.
According to the claimants, the defendants’ representatives allegedly led by Dr. Olumide Ayeni requested to report back in the first week of February but never did.
Consequently, the claimants are praying the court for a declaration that being the judicially affairmed founder and first settler of the entire Itele Town, they are entitled to the Statutory Right of Occupancy in respect of the entire land in dispute measuring an area of 464 hectares lying at Sogunro – Itele, Awori.
The claimants also asked the court to declare the purported offer for sale of their land by the 1st and 2nd defendants as illegal, null and void.
They are asking the court for “an order setting aside any documents of title purportedly executed in favour of the 1st and 2nd defendants on the claimants’ family land measuring an area of 464 hectares lying at Sogunro – Itele, Awori in Ado/Odi/It’s, Ogun state and formed a small portion of vast expanse of land covered by survey plan number PEG/06/2001/025 drawn by surveyor J.O Olorunkunle and Plan No LA/49/1946 drawn by Surveyor Liasu Smith respectively”
The claimants are also praying the court for an order granting them possession of the land in dispute.
The Sun
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Posted by News Rangers
on Feb 17 2021. Filed under National.
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