Akodo land ownership dispute puts buyers at risk
By Wollimoh Abdulmateen
A long court case over who truly owns a large area of land in Akodo, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, has led to a strong warning to people planning to buy land there.
The warning was given in a statement signed by the Alakodo of Ibeju Land, HRM Oba Abdul-Hakeem Olokodano, alongside Prince Kehinde Jamiu Hassan, Prince Nojibu Idowu Hassan and Prince Balogun Olalekan.
The statement said the Oba Olumoye Oniwonlu Abejoye Royal Family, who claim to be the original owners of the land, advised the public not to buy any part of Akodo land because ownership is still being decided in several court cases.
The dispute involves at least 16 well-known families, including Oba Olumoye Oniwonlu Abejoye, Kejibo Elejide, Ogunlaja, Ogbeni, Abdullahi Baba Egbe, Oluwo, Ilelaboye, Ogedengbe, Ajibike, Ogbe, Ogele, Iya Agba/Baba Dudu, Ota, Oguntolu, Oloro, Eruobodo and Ijabejo. Some real estate companies are also claiming parts of the land.
The land dispute has lasted for many years and is linked to Supreme Court judgments given in 1925 and 1928. Those rulings covered parts of Akodo land such as Tiye, Imobido and Eemu/Erumu areas.
The depth of the crisis could be seen in the number of unresolved lawsuits currently before Lagos State High Courts.
One of such cases is Suit No. EPD/8283/LMW/2019, was instituted by descendants of Oba Olumoye Oniwonlu against 16 families and some real estate companies. The suit challenged the ownership claims of other families, including the Ogbeni family.
Although the Court of Appeal judgment in Suit No. CA/L/1082/2014 based on parcel A and B land excisions which formed parts of Akodo Town appeared to favour the Ogbeni family and others against some person called Akodo cummunity, the decision was later compromised and resolved through a consent judgment in Suit No. LD/2861GCM/2018.
The consent judgment reportedly declared parcel A and B land excisions communal property and apportioned ownership between the Ogbeni family (55 per cent) and the Akodo Community (45 per cent).
However, the Oba Olumoye Oniwonlu Abejoye Family maintained that the consent judgment does not bind them, as they were not parties to the agreement and the disputed land excisions were portions of Akodo Town.
The Oba Olumoye Oniwonlu Abejoye family had also joined ongoing suits marked LD/6040/2014, EPD/7972LMW/2019 and EPD/9892LMW/2020 initiated by the Oluwo family, Eruobodo family and Idris and Jegede Chieftaincy (Abdullahi Baba Egbe) family and others, to assert a counterclaim to the ownership of the entire Akodo land.
In another related case, Suit No. EPD/2171LMW/2016, instituted by the Kejibo-Elejide family against the Amure family and others, the Oba Olumoye Oniwonlu Abejoye Royal family has equally entered the proceedings to counterclaim ownership of a parcel of land known as Igi Aba Village Excision, Akodo.
The Oba Olumoye family further alleged that the Ogbeni family and the Akodo Community, represented by the late late Baale of Akodo, Chief Adebayo Mutafiu Ogunlaja, are misleading the public by presenting the Court of Appeal judgment or misrepresenting the consent judgment as conclusive proof of ownership, without disclosing the existence of pending legal challenges.
“The entire peace arrangement between the Ogbeni family and the Akodo Community based on 2 parcels of land excisions has collapsed,” a representative of the Oba Olumoye Oniwonlu Abejoye family said.
The dispute, according to the family, has degenerated into physical confrontations involving land grabbers, popularly known as omo-onile, in blatant disregard of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s directive prohibiting self-help in land matters.
Speaking on the implications for investors, Kunle Alabi, a legal analyst familiar with land disputes in Lagos, warned of the grave risks involved.
“Once a land title is sub-judice, that is, under judicial consideration, any transaction carried out on such land is vulnerable to being nullified by a subsequent court decision,” he explained.
Reiterating their caution, the Oba Olumoye Oniwonlu Abejoye Royal families stressed that the ownership of entire Akodo Town remains subject to the final determination of all pending cases.
“Any buyer who ignores this warning risks purchasing nothing and may ultimately be evicted by the rightful owners,” the family stated.