Eshinlokun family land: Lawyer demands respect for court orders

By Robert Egbe 

Lagos lawyer, Oluwaseun Dayo Omotoso, has asked parties to a suit involving ownership of land at Oko Addo Village in Eti-Osa Local Government Area (LGA) to abide by court orders.

The suit, marked EPD/8612/2019, was filed by Mojeed Balogun Oteshade Eshinlokun with Chief Rilwan Oteshade and Isiaka Oteshade as second and third claimants, while Emeka John Onugha is the sole defendant.

In the matter pending before Justice Ganiyu Safari, the claimants averred that Igbaro Oteshade Eshinlokun royal family land in Oko Addo measuring about 10 acres were illegally obtained by Onugha, a real estate developer.

Omotoso, who spoke on behalf of the claimants, said there was evidence that construction work was being carried out on the property despite the pending suit.

He warned any such person carrying out the development to respect the courts or face the legal consequences.

The lawyer further said that members of the family were being unlawfully arrested and harassed in a bid to force them to drop the suit and another similar  suit against the Lagos State Government, its Attorney-General and other state officials and departments.

The latest incident, he explained, occurred on June 12, when the family head, Chief Nojeem Agunbiade Oteshade and other Oteshade Eshinlokun royal family members were accused of being landgrabbers, “on their family land”, arrested and detained.

Also speaking to The Nation, the family head said the land, about 10 hectares, was inherited from the family’s first traditional ruler, King Addo.

He insisted that the family was the owner of the land from time immemorial, saying it was inherited from the late King Addo but taken over by Onugha, who they said, claimed to have bought it from an unknown family in Ajah.

The family urged Lagos State Governor to intervene in its land dispute.

But responding to the allegation, Mr Onugha, said the land in question is a government acquired land and that he lawfully acquired it from the Lagos State Government.

All the title documents for the land, he added, were issued to him by the Lagos State Government.

Onugha said: “I am not ‘omoonile,’ I bought the land from the owners and went to Alausa to perfect the papers but government told me that the land is government land.”