Land dispute: Adogun Atele family drags Obasanjo to court
Head of the Adogun Atele family, Pa Nurudeen Akapo and four other principal members of the family have asked an Ogun State High Court to restrain former president Oluegun 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 Awotolu, Chief Taoreed Dada and Alhaji Monsuru Yusuf.
The claimants through their lawyer, Gbenga Ajala in suit against former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Obasanjo Farms Limited and bureau of Land and Survey, Ogun State, are praying the court to cancel the purported interest of the former president and Obasanjo Farms Nigeria limited on the disputed land.
In their statement of claims, the family said that they are the affirmed founder and the first settler of Itele land, comprising of Ayetoro-Itele, Odan-Otun, Ajasa, Ejigun, Aparadija, Adeyele, Efura, Kongi, Lafenwa, Olugbode, Oguntedo, Beyioku, Egunjobi, Senikoro, Onifade and Sogunro villages.
According to them, 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/49.1949 drawn by the surveyor Liasu Smith respectively.
The claimants said that sometime in 2012, former president Obasanjo and his farm applied for the Bureau of Lands and Survey Ogun State for Issuance of Certificate of Occupancy on the disputed land, whereas 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