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Members of Adogun Atele family have told an Ogun State High Court of how defendants in a suit are using the influence of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to harass and intimidate them over a family land located at Sogunro village, Itele Awori in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area Ogun State.
The allegation was contained in a Motion on Notice brought pursuant to Order 13 Rule 17(1) of the High Court of Ogun State Civil Procedure Rules 2014 filed by Sunday Owotolu, Taoreed Dada, and Monsuru Yusuf (claimants) against a couple, Abraham Akanle who is a brother to former president Obasanjo and his wife, Taiwo Akanle, over the disputed land.
The claimant further told the court that the defendants allegedly threatened to use security agencies to frame members of their family with trumped up charges.
Besides, the family is praying the court for an order joining Gbenga Ibuoye Nigeria Limited, the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel and the Attorney General of the Federation as 3rd, 4th and 5th defendants respectively.
The family told the court that Gbenga Ibuoye Nigeria Limited has a subsisting quarry lease to excavate laterite on the disputed land issued by the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel.
The claimants had in suit number HCT/02/2020 filed by their lawyer, Olanrewaju Balogun, prayed the court for an order directing the defendants their agents and privies to vacate the land in dispute.
In a 20-page affidavit in support of the Motion on Notice, deposed to by Dada, he alleged that the defendants acting under the disguise of protecting the ‘defective title’ of Obasanjo’s land brought tipper operators to collect laterite on their family land.
He said the defendants are strangers and not related to Adogun Atele family but are using the influence of the former president to harass and intimidate the claimant’s family members.
He stated that the 1st defendant misrepresented Obasanjo to harass and intimidate claimant’s family members should they complain about illegal collection of laterite on the disputed land.
The claimants averred that the 1st defendant has been the root of crisis in Itele by giving false information to former president Obasanjo.
He stated that the claimants have obtained Supreme Court judgments which stated that neither former president Obasanjo nor Akanle derived any title on the disputed land.
He added that despite the apex court judgment the 1st defendant has been using the influence of the former president to intimidate members of the claimants’ family.
He stated further that the defendants have allegedly made over N5 billion from alleged collection and mining of laterite on their ancestral land without the family approval.
