The Akinole-Oshiun Family has rejected the Ogun Oshun River Basin Development Authority’s (OORBDA) claim to an 8,000-square-metre parcel of land along Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

It insisted that the property has already been vested in the family by judgments of the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

The family issued a rejoinder in response to OORBDA’s public disclaimer, in which the agency reportedly claimed ownership of the property known as “AY Homes Luxury Court.”

Signed by the Head of the Family, Chief Isiaka Lamina Akiti Akinole, and the Family Secretary, Fatai Abayomi Gbadebo Oshiun, the rejoinder described OORBDA’s publication as “erroneous” and “misleading,” saying it was issued to set the record straight and prevent what it called falsehood from gaining public acceptance.

According to the family, the disputed property forms part of about 398 acres of land in and around Agidingbi, which it said had been conclusively declared its property through judgments of the High Court of Lagos State, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

The family cited the decisions in Suit No. ID/216/77L, Appeal Nos. CA/L/517M/99, CA/L/649M/06 and CA/L/776/2014, as well as the Supreme Court judgment in SC/173/2009, which it said affirmed its legal and beneficial ownership of the land.

It further stated that following the judgments, it obtained a writ of possession, which was executed by the Deputy Sheriff of the High Court of Lagos State in April 2019 in the presence of officers of the Nigeria Police Force, after which a Form “O” certifying the execution was issued. History

The family also recalled that the execution of the writ prompted the Lagos State House of Assembly’s Rules and Business Committee to conduct a public hearing on a petition over alleged illegal allocations of land covered by the Supreme Court judgment.

According to the rejoinder, officials of OORBDA participated in the hearing alongside other stakeholders, after which the Assembly resolved that the Lagos State Government should comply with the court judgments by recognising the family as the lawful owners of the 398-acre land and granting it unhindered access to the property.

The family further claimed that the Lagos State Government subsequently recognised its ownership by issuing land allocation documents, survey plans, building permits and planning approvals covering plots within the Alausa Central Business District and along Lateef Jakande Road, including the disputed property.

It argued that OORBDA’s disclaimer was contemptuous of subsisting judgments of superior courts and inconsistent with the state’s recognition of the family’s title.

The family also dismissed the Certificate of Occupancy displayed by OORBDA in its publication, contending that it could not supersede valid court judgments affirming the family’s ownership. (Text, excluding headline: The Nation)