Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Akinole-Oshiun family of Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos State, has petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over an alleged attempt by the lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, and the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority to forcefully dispossess it of an approximately 8,000-square-metre parcel of land along Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi. In an open letter dated September 4, 2026, and addressed to the President, the family accused Faleke of threatening to use "presidential power" and enlist officials of the Nigeria Police Force to eject its members from the property, despite a series of court judgments affirming its legal interest in the land.
The disputed property, located opposite the Coca-Cola Factory in Agidingbi, forms part of a larger tract of land measuring approximately 398 acres, which the family said had been adjudged to belong to them by various superior courts. In the petition titled "Open Letter To Our Dear Mr. President," the family urged Tinubu to "call Honourable James Abiodun Faleke and the Management of Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority to order" and ensure respect for the rule of law and the sanctity of judicial process.
According to the family, Faleke, accompanied by his land agents and attorneys, had recently begun interfering with their possession of the property under the guise of obtaining a purported long lease from OORBDA. "The same Honourable has equally promised us that he would use presidential power to eject us from the subject property, and that this would involve enlisting officials of the Nigeria Police Force to uproot our interest in the subject property," the family alleged. The petitioners further claimed that Faleke and OORBDA had threatened to "unleash mayhem" on its members until they vacated the property. The family said it would not be intimidated by the alleged threats, insisting that it would continue to defend its interests through lawful means. "We will surely not be cowed, frightened, intimidated and/or submit to Hon. Faleke's and OORBDA's threats, as we would not shy away from protecting our family heritage within the confines of the extant laws of the land," it stated.
The family traced its claim to approximately 398 acres of land within and around Agidingbi to a series of court judgments dating back several decades. It cited the 1977 judgment of the High Court of Lagos State in Suit No. ID/216/77L, Chief Sule Akinole & Anor. v. Ato Mogaji & Ors., which it said was registered as 16/16/2178 at the Lands Registry, Alausa, Lagos. It also cited subsequent decisions of the Court of Appeal in Appeal Nos. CA/L/517M/99, CA/L/649M/06 and CA/L/776/2014, as well as the Supreme Court judgment in Appeal No. SC/173/2009, Ato Mogaji & Ors. v. Chief Sule Otabiyi Akinole. According to the petition, following the judicial proceedings, the family obtained a writ of possession from the Lagos State High Court, which was executed by the Deputy Sheriff of the court in April 2019 in the presence of members of the Nigeria Police Force.
The family further stated that the execution of the writ subsequently led to a public hearing by the Lagos State House of Assembly following a petition concerning alleged allocations of portions of land covered by the court proceedings. According to the petitioners, stakeholders in the Agidingbi area, including officials of OORBDA, participated in the proceedings. The family claimed that following the deliberations, the Rules and Business Committee of the Lagos State House of Assembly resolved that the Lagos State Government should comply with the relevant court decisions and recognise the family's interest in the land. It further claimed that the state government subsequently issued land allocations and survey plans in respect of some vacant plots within the Alausa Central Business District and along Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, including the property in dispute. The petitioners said they subsequently took possession of the 8,000-square-metre property and had remained in what they described as peaceful possession for more than two years.
The petition, signed by Chief Isiaka Lamina Akiti Akinole, Head of Family, and Prince Fatai Abayomi Oshiun, Secretary of the family, comes amid earlier allegations by the family that officials of OORBDA had unleashed hoodlums on a disputed property in Ikeja, despite what the family described as "final and binding" court judgments affirming its ownership rights. The family has rejected OORBDA's claim to the 8,000-square-metre parcel of land, citing the Supreme Court judgment. The allegations against Faleke and OORBDA remain claims by the petitioners and have not been independently verified. As of the time of this report, neither Faleke nor OORBDA had issued a public response to the allegations.
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