In a landmark judgment that ended a years-long legal battle, the Ogunmokun family of Akure has formally served a notice to quit to all current occupants of a large tract of land, including the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA), petrol stations, and the Abuja Motor Park.
This comes after the Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld the family’s legal ownership of the disputed land, located along the Akure/Owo/Ilesha Road in Ondo State.
The family, represented by Michael Ajayi (Family Head) and Gbenga Ajayi (Secretary), said the judgment puts to rest all previous claims by the Federal Government and its agencies, who had been managing and leasing parts of the land for years.
The legal tussle began at the Akure High Court, where Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye ruled in favour of the family, declaring the federal and state acquisitions as illegal and void for lack of due process. The ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal, which also fined the Federal Government ₦500,000, calling their appeal “moribund.”
In April 2024, the Supreme Court, led by Justice Musa Abba Aji and four other Justices, struck out the final appeal by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, FECA, and others, deeming it incompetent.
“With the Supreme Court’s ruling, all legal obstacles have been cleared. We are now exercising our full right to reclaim and manage our ancestral land,” the family stated.
Tenants who had been paying rent to FECA have also been asked to vacate the property.
This ruling sets a powerful precedent in land rights cases and raises serious questions about land acquisition processes by public institutions across the country.
#Akure #SupremeCourtRuling #LandDispute #OgunmokunFamily
