A Lagos-based estate developer, Samsideen Sule, has filed a suit before the Ikeja Judicial Division of the Lagos State High Court accusing two members of the Abolarinwa family and a senior police officer of defamation, harassment and malicious publication.

Sule, who operates under the name SAS Estate Developer, challenged what he described as false, malicious and damaging allegations contained in petitions allegedly written and circulated by the defendants.

The defendants, Sherifat Abolarinwa, Habeeb Abolarinwa and CSP Taofeek Tijani of the Zone II Police Command were alleged to have authored and circulated a petition dated March 19, 2024, accusing Sule of involvement in the theft of two trinket boxes containing 950 grammes of 24-carat gold belonging to the late Tejumola Abolarinwa.

Sule described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory, claiming they were intended to damage his reputation as a businessman and estate developer.

He stated that he was lawfully engaged by the Abolarinwa family to assist in recovering land allegedly taken over by hoodlums and land grabbers in the Idimu and Abule-Odu areas of Lagos.

According to him, acting under a Power of Attorney executed in his favour, he mobilised resources, engaged lawyers and pursued petitions before security agencies, leading to the recovery of nine plots of land.

He alleged that despite these efforts, the defendants later turned against him, resulting in police invitations, intimidation and humiliation.

Sule is seeking N500 million in damages for alleged injury to his reputation, emotional trauma and business losses.
He is also asking the court to restrain the defendants from making further defamatory statements against him.
The matter is yet to be assigned a hearing date.