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The Akinole-Oshiun family of Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos State, has petitioned President Bola Tinubu over an alleged attempt to dispossess it of an approximately 8,000-square-metre property along Lateef Jakande Road.
The family, in its allegation, accused the lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, James Faleke, and the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA) of interfering with its possession of the property despite court judgments that established its interest in a larger expanse of land in the area.
Faleke and OORBDA were also accused of attempting to deploy political influence and government institutions in the dispute.
The allegations were contained in an open letter dated September 4, 2026, and signed by the Head of the Akinole-Oshiun family, Chief Isiaka Lamina Akiti Akinole, and its Secretary, Prince Fatai Abayomi Oshiun.
The claims against Faleke and OORBDA are allegations by the petitioners and have not been independently verified by Naija News.
In the petition, the family alleged that Faleke threatened to invoke “presidential power” and involve the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in removing its members from the land.
It further claimed that the lawmaker, alongside his agents and lawyers, recently began interfering with the property based on a purported long-term lease from OORBDA.
The petitioners urged Tinubu to intervene and prevent any action they believed could undermine existing judicial decisions.
They also alleged that Faleke and OORBDA threatened to “unleash mayhem” on family members unless they vacated the land.
The family said it would resist any attempt to take possession outside the judicial process, stressing that its response would remain within the law.
Explaining the history of the dispute, the petitioners said the 8,000-square-metre property formed part of approximately 398 acres of land to which the family lays claim within and around Agidingbi.
They cited several judicial decisions which they said affirmed their legal and beneficial interest in the larger property.
Among them was a 1977 Lagos State High Court judgment in Suit No. ID/216/77L, Chief Sule Akinole & Anor. v. Ato Mogaji & Ors.
The family also referred to subsequent Court of Appeal proceedings, including Appeal Nos. CA/L/517M/99, CA/L/649M/06 and CA/L/776/2014, as well as Supreme Court Appeal No. SC/173/2009, Ato Mogaji & Ors. v. Chief Sule Otabiyi Akinole.
It maintained that the decisions established its interest in the disputed land.
According to the petition, the family subsequently obtained a writ of possession from the Lagos State High Court.
It said the writ was enforced by the court’s Deputy Sheriff in April 2019 in the presence of police personnel, after which the court issued a Certificate of Writ of Execution, known as Form O.
The family said the development later became the subject of proceedings at the Lagos State House of Assembly following a petition over alleged allocations of portions of the land covered by the court decisions.
It claimed representatives of OORBDA, including its Director of Legal Services, participated in the House proceedings.
The petitioners said the House of Assembly’s Rules and Business Committee eventually recommended that the Lagos State Government comply with the court judgments and recognise the family’s interest in the approximately 398 acres.
According to the family, the state government subsequently issued allocations and survey plans covering some vacant plots within the Alausa Central Business District and along Lateef Jakande Road, including the property now in dispute.
The petitioners claimed they remained in “undisturbed and unhindered possession” of the approximately 8,000-square-metre parcel for more than two years before the latest disagreement.
They accused OORBDA of subsequently issuing what they described as “distorted and fake information/public notices” asserting ownership over the land.
The Akinole-Oshiun family also disputed what it described as OORBDA’s assertion that pending litigation supported the authority’s claim to the property.
It explained that in July 2024, its lawyers commenced committal proceedings after alleged violations of the orders relating to possession of portions of the land.
The proceedings, identified as Suit No. ID/923M/99 before the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice K.O. Alogba, reportedly involved OORBDA and several other parties, including Royal Masters School, AHCH Towers, De Martinos Hotels and Event Centre, Japaul Building and ADDAS Mall.
The family said OORBDA participated in the proceedings through its counsel.
It added, however, that the committal action was later withdrawn following intervention by the Lagos State House of Assembly to resolve competing interests in the Agidingbi area.
According to the petitioners, the withdrawal was undertaken in good faith, with the court subsequently striking out Forms 48 and 49 on May 17, 2025.
On that basis, the family argued that it was misleading for OORBDA to continue suggesting that a subsisting case favoured its claim to the disputed property.
The family appealed to the President to ensure that neither government agencies nor security institutions were used to circumvent judicial processes in the dispute.
It described any attempt to resort to self-help rather than the courts as an “aberration,” particularly where the parties were already aware of the family’s claimed legal interest.
The petitioners maintained that they were prepared to defend their property rights through lawful channels and called for all existing judicial decisions to be respected.
They also urged the President to ensure due process was followed before taking any action that could alter possession of the property.
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