Lagos AG & Others Face Contempt of Court in Kingship Dispute

Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN), the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, along with the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Bolaji Robert, and several others, have appeared before the court due to alleged violations of a court order concerning the vacated throne of Abule Ado Kingdom.

Others named in the suit include the Executive Chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government, Dr Valentine Buraimoh, who, along with the other respondents, is accused of flouting an order made by Justice Mathias Dawodu of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, on January 15, 2025.

The court instructed all involved parties to keep everything as it was until they could review an application for a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit brought forth by Alhaji Rafiu Owolabi Teslimi along with nine additional members of the Sanusi Olawunmi clan from Abule Ado within the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area.

Following the presentations made by the legal counsels involved, Justice Dawodu gave his ruling. The arguments were presented by Mr. L.A. Yusuf representing the claimants at M.B. Jimoh-Akogun & Co., along with E.O. Olatunji who spoke on behalf of the third and fourth respondents, and O.A. Ladipo together with F.O. Lawal advocating for the interests of the seventh and eighth respondents.

In the lawsuit identified as ID/2044GCMW/2024, the petitioners requested the court to instruct all involved parties to preserve the current state of affairs until the hearing of a motion seeking an interim injunction. This was aimed at preventing the defendants from appointing anyone to fill the vacant position within the Abule Ado kingdom.

The counsel contended that approving the application would be conducive to justice and that without an injunction, the defendants could turn the court's decision into a fait accompli.

Nevertheless, while awaiting the rescheduled court date for the hearing, the defendants reportedly initiated the procedure for installing the king in violation of the court’s directive on May 19, 2025.

Hence, the claimant’s attorney, Yusuf, has submitted Form 48, titled 'Notification of Penalties for Non-Compliance with Court Order from April 8, 2025.'

The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Alhaji Taiwo Tesilimi, Mr. Dauda Lasisi, Chief Jelili Lasisi, Alhaji Wasiu Bisiriyu, Mr. Nurain Bisiriyu, Alhaja Lateefat Agbaje, Mr. Akeem Agbaje, Alhaji Jamiu Balogun, and Mulikat Balogun. They are representing both themselves and the members of the Sanusi Olawunmi Family from Abule Ado, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos State, listed here as the first through ninth claimants respectively.

Other contributors besides Pedro, Robert, and Buraimoh consist of: the Chieftaincy Committee of Amuwo/Odofin Local Government, Prince Eniola Muftau Ado, Babatunde Bakare, Sulaiman Surajudeen Aro, and Alhaji Nurudeen Abu, who are identified as the first through eighth defendants respectively.

In his application on notice filed under Order 42 Rule 1(1), (2), 4(1), and 8 of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules, Yusuf from M. B Jimoh-Akogun & Co.'s chambers has requested that the court issue an injunction preventing the defendants from acknowledging or sanctioning the installation of any officers to the 5th through 8th defendants or anyone within their family as monarch.

To back up the motion that was submitted for review, the initial claimant filed an extensive affidavit consisting of 91 paragraphs. Tesilimi asserted that the ancestors of the claimants were not only the founders but also the first settlers in the area, as they had established themselves as the original Baale. It follows then that later Baales originated from Oteyi Odan.

He suggested that the ancestor of Sanusi Olawunmi was not passed among the claimants and the defendant before the inquiry report. The claimants belong to a ruling family and thus have the right to nominate the next Oba of Ado village.

He mentioned that "The Memorandum of Obaship for Abule Ado dated May 2024 was sent to the office of the 14th defendant. It outlined the historical background and reasons supporting the request to allow the claimants to propose a nominee for the unoccupied position of Ado Village chief."

The claimants further asserted that among all these legal disputes between their family and various parties including the government, individual entities, and local residents, a crucial aspect is that the historical narrative, property rights, and lineage of the claimants' family—specifically regarding Oteyi-Odan, their ancestor who established settlement in this area, along with their traditional leadership roles within Abule Ado—are consistently safeguarded and recognized by governmental and public authorities.

There is no recorded declaration concerning the Abule Ado chieftaincy, which means the court has the authority to determine what the traditional law states and use that law to make a declaration.

Following an extended waiting period for the claimant’s demands outlined in the Memorandum, the claimant, via their legal representative, submitted a notice of claim dated September 2, 2024. This document was accepted upon delivery by the first to fourth defendants; however, the fifth to eighth defendants declined to accept it.

In Form 48, it was indicated that unless Mr. Pedro (SAN), Oba Mobadenle Oyekan, who serves as the Chairman of the Chieftaincy Committee at Amuwo Odofin Local Government, along with Sulaiman Surajudeen Aro, Kayode Bolaji-Roberts, and Valentine Oluseyi Buraimoh, comply promptly with the court’s directive for maintaining the current state of affairs, they risk being found in contempt and could face imprisonment.

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