Ogun: Oba Alli Ogunnaike Fibiwoga Family Denies Land Grabbing Allegation
The Oba Alli Ogunnaike Fibiwoga Family of Odogbolu has denied a land grabbing allegation levelled against it by the Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General of Ogun State Mr. Oluwasina Ogungbade
In a reaction to a statement by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade SAN, issued on Thursday, stating that the Ministry of Justice had uncovered a “fraudulent and improperly-obtained Customary Court judgement”, with which the alleged land grabbers intend to use in deceiving members of the public.
In the Statement, the Commissioner warned the public that the claims of the Fibiwoga Family to 350 acres of land along Lagos Road, Apere Oba via Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State are fictitious, fraudulent, and baseless.
“In the same vein, Obatob Properties Limited has no land to develop, assign, allot, or administer in the described area.
“Any person who deals with either entity or any other private person regarding the land does so at their own peril, and at the risk of a firm government response.”
But in its reaction, the family denied ever engaging in land grabbing, saying that it possesses all legal documents including valid court judgement regarding the land in question.
In a statement signed by Prince Moshood Salami, who is the family head of Fibiwoga of Odogbolu, said the claim that the family is parading fake documents is untrue and an attempt to cast serious aspersion on the integrity of the family and the judiciary.
Prince Salami said the family has more than 60 hectares of land on the Oba Fibiwoga family land in the Odogbolu Local Government Area Ogun State, Nigeria and have been in actual possession of the said land since time immemorial.
“Our attention has been drawn to the news making it round the Internet some minutes after the Honorable Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General of Ogun State Mr. Oluwasina Ogungbade SAN, invited us for a meeting in his office with regards to an issue submitted to his office by one Sir kay Oluwo and his team as per the judgment validly delivered by the Ogun State Customary Court on the 11th day of October, 2021 in Suit No: ODCCGIC/13CL/2021, over our family land known as Oba Alli Ogunnaike Fibiwoga family land in the Odogbolu Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria.
“It is appalling that we were deceitfully invited to the press conference under the guise of a scheduled meeting with the Attorney General and the other party to further engage on the verdict of the AG, over the judgment of the Customary Court of Ogun State and the Ogun State Customary Court of Appeal, notwithstanding that it is currently pending at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Judicial Division.
“During the press conference the Attorney General relayed only his favorable part of the story to the press and immediately stormed out of the meeting with no regards whatsoever to questioning our part.
“The cost effect of this press conference which has in turn, tainted our family image and the credible business of Messrs. Obatob Properties Ltd. A real estate firm, necessitates that we in turn take this approach.
“It all started from when we noticed that some group of people were encroaching on the Oba Alli Ogunnaike Fibiwoga family land in the Odogbolu Local Government Area Ogun State, Nigeria of which the family resolved to litigate the legality or otherwise of the trespassers’ actions in a competent court of law and which due process were followed and a valid judgment was delivered in line with extant laws of Ogun State, Nigeria.
“The said judgment was appealed to the Ogun State Customary Court of Appeal, Abeokuta, Ogun State and the panel of referred judges dismissed the appeal of the trespassers after entertaining arguments from the parties and found in favor of the judgment of the Customary Court dated 11th day of October, 2021.
This same judgment of the Customary Court of Appeal delivered on 4th day of July, 2024 was further appealed to the Court of Appeal, Ibadan judicial division and awarded APPEAL NO: CA/IB/247/2024.
Whilst this appeal continued to be pending and/or abandoned at the Court of Appeal in Ibadan, the trespassers in their continued act of trespass invited Sir Kay Oluwo (a notorious land grabber from Ikorodu) to permanently dominate the entire land maim and kill anyone who lay claims on any part of the land through our family or whosoever dares to continue the execution of the judgment of the court.
While we continued to explore the process of the law to restrain these trespassers and await the judgment of the Court of Appeal, we received an invitation to attend a meeting with the trespassers and Sir Kay Oluwo from the office of the Honorable Attorney General on the 20th February, 2025, this notwithstanding the subsistent judgment of the court and the pending appeal before the Court of Appeal Ibadan Judicial Division.
“During the meeting of 20th February, 2025 which depicts that the Attorney General was sitting as an appellate court over the judgment of both Ogun State Customary Court and Customary Court of Appeal the Honorable Attorney General was emphatic when he said that parties should go back to the land and continue with their businesses despite the restraining orders of the court in favor of our family and against these trespassers.
This decision that we verily believe will put the lives of our family members and others claiming through us in danger caused us to write the letter dated 24th February, 2025 through our solicitor Messrs. PalmStars Solicitors, addressed to the Attorney General wherein we respectfully advised his esteemed office on the need to limit himself to his constitutionally assigned duties so as the office of the Attorney General does not clash with the judiciary and render the victory recorded by us a pyrrhic victory before the Court of Appeal rule over the appeal already pending.
“Instead that the Honorable Attorney General retrace his steps, he called another meeting/press conference of 3th April, 2025 wherein he made serious aspersion against the integrity of the judiciary from which these two judgments emanated from, our family, and even the brand of Messrs. Obatob Properties Ltd. that innocently bought a portion of the land from our family for its business purpose.
“Whereas we shall restrain ourselves from delving into the merits of our case and actions as the Attorney General had promised to face us in litigation headlong, leaving out Sir Kay Oluwo and his cohorts, stating that the case is now between our family and the Ogun State Government.
“Nonetheless, it is important to point out the following-
1. The parties in suit ODCCGII/13CL/2021 initiated at the Customary Court, Odogbolu were duly served several notices at every stage of the proceeding until judgment was delivered on the 11th day of October, 2021.
2. The judgment of the Customary Court Odogbolu, had once been tested on appeal and the same was affirmed to be valid for all intents and purposes and it is presently pending at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan.
3. We did not by any string of imagination, fraudulently or through fake documents obtain the judgment of the Customary Court dated 11th day of October, 2021.
4. Our family has more than 60 hectares of land on the Oba Fibiwoga family land in the Odogbolu Local Government Area Ogun State, Nigeria and we have been in actual possession of the said land since time immemorial.
5. This expanse of land had severally been charted in our family name and survey approved by the Surveyor General of Ogun State.
6. A recent report over the land from the Surveyor General’s office shows that our family has at least 40 hectares from the entire land of more than 60 hectares that is free from any known Government Acquisition.
7. Messrs. Obatob Properties Ltd. validly bought from our land and we acknowledged his right to approach any relevant authority for perfection of its title including certificate of occupancy.
We verily believe in the due process of law and our judicial system and we shall on our part be prepared to defend our family heritage.
