Defendants opt for out-of-court settlement in alleged sham land case

Defendants in the case of an alleged fraudulent sale of land at Wasimi, Maryland have opted for out-of-court settlement after a Lagos High Court, Ikeja granted an enrolment order in the matter. 

The case involved a Lagos based lawyer, Olajide Ajana, who had initially dragged the defendants to court over the said land transaction.

The defendants are Pastor Goke Aniyeloye, who is Ajana’s client, Prince Stephen ibitoye and Lagos State government.

Ajana took Aniyeloye, a provincial Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Ibitoye and other defendants to court over intent to outsmart him in the sale of a parcel of land situated on Wasimi, Maryland, Lagos.

In the suit marked ID/8990GCMW/2022, Ibitoye was sued as the 1st defendant, while Aniyeloye, the Governor of Lagos State, Lagos State Attorney General and the Lagos Director of Land Bureau were 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th defendants, respectively.

In his statement of claim, Ajana stated that Ibitoye engaged his services in 2013, at a time that the defendant was broke and couldn’t pay him, and therefore, opted to pay for the legal services rendered with some portions of the land equivalent to five acres and three plots.
According to him, Ibitoye and Aniyeloye later started selling the said property at Wasimi, Maryland, Lagos, including the portion assigned to the claimant, despite the pendency of a suit marked ID/032 LM/2014 in respect of the same property which Ajana had filed on behalf of his client (Ibitoye).

Ajana further sought an order stating that any sale/transfer of the said five acres, three plots of land or any portion of the said land at Wasimi in Maryland Lagos, which Ibitoye had assigned in lieu of the professional fees to the claimant to Aniyeloye or any person is wrongful, illegal, null and void.

Having been granted the enrolment order, the defendants opted for an out-of -court settlement and also decided to withdraw a libel suit filed against Ajana.
The defendants had written a letter dated July19, 2022 and also filed a libel suit against Ajana after accusing him of activating a libelous publication where the defendants also claimed to have had no business with Ajana or the said land

To further display the defendants’ readiness for an out-of-court settlement, Pastor Aniyeloye on October 19, 2022 in a signed letter stated that he would be informing his lawyer to withdraw all suits filed against Ajana. 
“This is to confirm that I, Pastor Goke Aniyeloye, the chairman of Fet Favour Executive Transport will instruct my brother, who is a legal practitioner, Barr. T.O Ajayi, to withdraw the suit filed against you (Olajide Ajana). 

“When he writes the application for discontinuance of the case, I will forward same to you on or before Friday, October 21, 2022. I express sincere apology for any hitch this suit might have caused you,” the letter reads.
Ajana, responding in a letter also dated October 19, 2022 confirmed he received copies of his letters, indicating that he is willing to settle the matter with him.