Epe family sues Lagos, ex-Supreme Court Justice, monarch, others for allegedly converting their land into private use

The Oni-Orisan family of Epe town in Lagos State, led by Chief Adenusi Michael and seven other descendants have sued the Lagos State Government, Alhaji Moshood Oni-Orisan and two others at the Lagos State High Court, Epe Division over a vast expanse of land in Oko-Orisan Village in the Epe Local Government Area of the state.

In the suit marked EPE/12869/LMW/2022, the family is accusing the defendants of acquiring the land on false pretences of wanting to use it for public purpose only to turn around to sell it to individuals and corporate organisations for profit.

The suit, which was filed sometime in 2022 at the Epe High Court, is before His Lordship, Justice W. Animahum sitting at Court 1 in Epe.

The defendants were represented by Dr Benson Enikuomehin, of Benson Enikuomehin & Co, legal practitioners.

The legal team which comprises eight legal giants is led by Otunba Benson Enikuomehin, who filed a 232 paragraph Statement of Defence and Counterclaims at the Epe High Court.

The Governor of Lagos State, The Attorney General of Lagos State, Hon. Justice G.A. Oguntade JSC (retd.), Oba Kamarudeen Animashaun (The Oloja of Epe), Landmark Corporate Realty Limited, Harmony Garden Estate Development Limited are among the defendants named in the counterclaims of the Oni-Orisan family.

The family explained that the Lagos State Government had in 1993, in the Lagos State Government Global Acquisition Notice No. 20 in Vol. 26 of May 13, 1993, acquired the land for overriding public purposes.

Some parts of the land were excised to the Oni-Orisan family in 1994 via the Lagos State of Nigeria Official Gazette No. 38, volume 27 on the 27th of October, 1994. The expanse of land acquired by the Lagos State Government at Oko-Orisan Village was about 1,047 Hectares (2,587Acres).

An additional expanse of land which measures about 2,000 Hectares was also acquired from the family land at Oju-Ota.

The family of Oni-Orisan alleged that the Lagos State Government, rather than using the land for overriding public purposes, had now begun to allocate the land to the various defendants named in the counterclaims for their private uses.

The family said that Section 28 of the Land Use Act, 1978 does not authorise the government to acquire their family so as to allocate same to individuals and corporate organisations for the private uses

The Lagos State Government is also being accused of refusing to pay compensation to the family since the acquisition of the land more than 30 years ago!

The Oni-Orisan family, through their lead counsel, Enikuomehin, has filed more than 30 exhibits (including aerial view survey of the land) before the Court.

The family is seeking more than 20 declarations, orders, damages against the Lagos State Government and the 20 defendants named in the counterclaims.

The Oni-Orisan family had obtained three different judgements on the land up to the Court of Appeal against individuals and corporate organisations that had trespassed on the land before now. The judgements are parts of the exhibits before the Court.

The matter which came up on Monday , 21st of October, 2024, before Justice W. Animahum has now been adjourned Tuesday, 10th of December, 2024 for the hearing of various applications.