Alleged Defamation: Obatob Properties Demands N1bn Damages from Ogun Attorney General
…Wants public retraction in seven national dailies within 48 hours
A real estate firm, Obatob Properties Limited, has threatened legal action against the Ogun State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN), over what it described as a defamatory press conference that allegedly tarnished its corporate image.
The demand was contained in a letter dated April 4, 2025, and issued by Palmstars Solicitors on behalf of Obatob Properties.
The letter referenced the Attorney General’s widely reported press conference of April 3, 2025, during which the company was allegedly portrayed as fraudulent and accused of colluding with land grabbers.
In the media briefing, which received prominent coverage in The PUNCH and other national outlets, Ogungbade had warned members of the public against dealing with the firm, stating that, “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 the risk of a firm government response.”
However, Obatob Properties, in its response, said the statement was baseless and damaging to its reputation, insisting that it legally acquired more than 20 hectares of land in Odogbolu Local Government Area from a family whose interest is “recognized by the government.”
The firm added that the said land is free from government acquisition or encumbrance.
“Our client informed us that your press conference, widely circulated and published in the online national newspapers… disparaged our client as a fraudulent company… in connivance with one Fibiwoga family working hand in hand with land grabbers,” the letter reads in part.
The company further claimed that the fallout from the AG’s statement had led to an outpouring of over 100 local and international phone calls, with many of its clients and prospective buyers demanding refunds over fears of being scammed.
“The publications have badly impacted the business of our client who has over the years conducted itself in a legitimate and responsible manner… Some of those demanding refunds are not even linked to the land in question,” the firm said.
Consequently, Obatob Properties is demanding an “unreserved retraction” of the alleged defamatory statement to be published in no fewer than seven widely read national newspapers, including The PUNCH, within 48 hours of receiving the letter.
Failure to meet the demand, according to the legal team, would leave the company with “no choice but to seek redress in a competent court of law and claim the sum of N1bn in special and exemplary damages.”
As of the time of filing this report, the Ogun State Ministry of Justice had yet to respond publicly to the allegations or the threat of legal action.
