By Christopher Oji
Family of the late business mogul, Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu, has alerted the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the general public on the “illegal and unlawful reallocation of the late businessman’s landed property in Agidingbi, Lagos.
The family also warned the general public that the administrators of the estate will “resist any unlawful interference” in their late patriarch’s property.
The Ashamu Oyedele family, in a notice to the public said, among others, “This parcel of land belongs to the estate of late Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu by virtue of Deed of Conveyance, dated 12th of December, 1962, registered as No. 16, on Page 16, in Volume 600; Deed of Conveyance, dated 4th May, 1963, and registered as No. 56 on Page 56 in Volume 651; Deed of Conveyance dated 14th May, 1963 and registered as No. 57 on Page 57 in Volume 651; Deed of Conveyance dated 25th November, 1965 and registered as No. 10 on Page 10 in Volume 884 and; Deed of Assignment dated 30th June, 1973 and registered as No. 32 in 32 in Volume 1425 in the office of the Registrar of Titles, Land Registry, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, amongst other land transfer instruments.
“Members of the public are hereby warned to refrain from dealing with certain unscrupulous elements parading themselves as owners of the land and offering the land for sale.”
The family added that the administrators of the estate shall ensure that the trespassers are brought to book in accordance with the law.
They stated that their father’s ownership of the said reallocated property was backed by certified true copies of the deed of conveyance for the various tracts of land at land registry.
According to the family, “In 1963, there was a compulsory acquisition of 601.2 acres of the land whose title was vested in Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu by the government of the Western Region, ostensibly for public purpose.
“It is a mandatory requirement of the law that for a compulsory acquisition of land for public purpose to be valid, there must be prompt payment of compensation to the beneficial owner of the land.”
The Oyedele Ashamu family continued that the government of the Western Region “failed to pay prompt compensation to the late Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu for the land, which was compulsorily acquired from him.”
When Lagos State was created in 1967, the land purportedly acquired from Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu was transferred by the Government of Western Region to the Lagos State Government.
“In 1969, the same land was again acquired by the Lagos State Government vide Lagos State Notice No. 236 of 14th of October, 1969, but without payment of any compensation to Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu as required by law.
“In effect, the failure of the Lagos State Government to effect payment of compensation to Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu in respect of the land invalidates the compulsory acquisition of his land.
“The upshot is that by virtue of Section 34(2) of the Land Use Act, Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu was the deemed holder of the Statutory Right of
Occupancy in respect of the vast expanse of land situated at Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, as at the time of his death on the 20th day of August, 1992. The right of occupancy, which was vested in him, devolved on our clients by operation of law.
“Strangely, by a letter dated 8th April, 2025, the Lands Bureau, under the office of
Mr. Governor, allocated to the Akinole Oshiun Family a portion of our clients’ land along Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, measuring an
area of 4177.936 square metres.
“The allocation is wrongful, unlawful, invalid and unjustifiable in that our clients have a subsisting Statutory Right of Occupancy over the land. “