Lagos Family Accuses OORBDA Of Allegedly Demolishing Disputed Property

The Akinole-Oshiun family has accused officials of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority of allegedly unleashing hoodlums on a disputed property in Ikeja, Lagos State.

The family alleged that the incident occurred despite what it described as “final and binding” court judgments affirming its ownership of the land.

According to the family, armed thugs allegedly invaded the property along Lateef Jakande Road, opposite the Coca-Cola factory in Agidingbi, in the early hours of Monday, May 25, 2026.

The family said the attackers allegedly demolished a newly erected perimeter fence and forcefully removed the entrance gate.

Residents were reportedly thrown into panic as the operation allegedly took place under the cover of darkness.

“This was not just destruction of property; it was a direct assault on the rule of law,” the family said in a report issued after the incident.

The disputed land, measuring about 8,097 square metres, is said to form part of a larger expanse of land in Agidingbi that has been the subject of legal battles for decades.

The family insisted that courts from the High Court to the Supreme Court had affirmed its ownership rights.

According to the family, the Lagos State High Court entered judgment in its favour in Suit No. ID/216/77L between Sule Akinole & Anor v. A.T.O. Mogaji & Ors.

It added that appeals against the judgment were dismissed by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

The family further claimed that an attempt by the Lagos State Government to reopen the matter at the Court of Appeal in 2007 was also dismissed for lacking merit.

Following the legal victories, the family said it obtained a writ of possession and recovered the land through a court-supervised execution in 2019.

It also said the Lagos State Government later initiated reconciliation efforts with land-owning families in Agidingbi.

According to the family, portions of land were allocated to the Akinole-Oshiun family in 2025, including the disputed parcel opposite the Coca-Cola factory.

The family said the allocation came with official survey documents authenticated by the Surveyor-General of Lagos State, after which possession was formally handed over.

The family alleged that the lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke, insisted the land belonged to OORBDA based on a Certificate of Occupancy reportedly issued to the agency by the Lagos State Government in 1994.

It also alleged that the lawmaker claimed a 20-year lease over the property.

The family dismissed the claim as “lame, preposterous and contemptuous,” insisting that no certificate of occupancy or lease agreement could override subsisting court judgments and executed possession orders.

The incident has triggered calls for investigation and possible prosecution of those allegedly connected to the demolition.

As of the time of filing this report, Faleke and officials of OORBDA had not publicly responded to the allegations.

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