By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo
The Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN), the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Bolaji Kayode Robert, and others have been dragged to court for disobeying a court order.
Also charged in the contempt proceeding is the Executive Chairman Amuwo / Odofin Local Council, Dr Valentine Oluwaseyi Buraimoh. They were alleged to have acted in disobedience to a January 15, 2025, court order over the vacant stool of the Abule Ado kingdom.
Justice Mathias Dawodu of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja had on January 15, ordered that status quo be maintained pending hearing of interlocutory injunction in a suit filed by the head of Sanusi Olawumi family of Abule Ado in Odofin Local Government area of Lagos State, Alhaji Rafiu Owolabi Teslimi and nine others.
The judge granted the order as requested by the claimant after listening to the submission of all the parties in the action as represented by their lawyers.
The judge ordered the parties to maintain the status quo, which is now being alleged to have been disobeyed. The claimants in the suit marked ID/2044GCMW/2024 prayed the court to direct parties in the suit to maintain the status quo pending the hearing of motion for interlocutory injunction to restrain the defendants from approving anybody for the vacant stool of Abule Ado kingdom.
The counsel had argued that granting the application request will serve the interest of justice and that if the order is not granted, the defendants will succeed in rendering the decision of the court nugatory.
However, while waiting for the adjourned date to return to the court for the hearing on May 19, the defendants allegedly commenced the process of installing the king in disobedience to a court order.
The claimant’s counsel, Mr Yusuf, has therefore filed form 48, ‘Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Court Order’ dated April 8, 2025. Other claimants in the suit are Alhaji Taiwo Hassan Tesilimi, Mr Dauda Mojeed Lasisi, Chief Jelili Obanla Lasisi, Alhaji Wasiu Ramon Bisiriyu, Mr Nurain Yinusa Bisiriyu, Alhaja Lateefat Agbaje, Mr Akeem Agbaje, Alhaji Jamiu Balogun and Mulikat Balogun.
They are suing for and on behalf of themselves and members of the Sanusi Olawunmi Family of Abule Ado, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos State as first to ninth claimants, respectively.
Aside from Pedro, Robert and Buraimoh, other respondents are the Chieftaincy Committee Amuwo/ Odofin Local Government, Prince Eniola Adeshina Muftau Ado, Babatunde Semi Bakare, Sulaiman Surajudeen Aro and Alhaji Nurudeen Abu as first to eight defendants.
In the claimant’s motion on notice brought pursuant to Order 42 Rule 1(1) (2) 4(1) and 8 of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules, Yusuf asked the court for an order restraining the defendants from recognising or approving the presentation of any staff of office to the 5th to 8th defendants or anybody from the defendants family.
In support of the motion on notice, a 91-paragraph affidavit was sworn to by the first claimant, Tesilimi. He averred that the claimants’ progenitor was the founder and first settler family, having been the first Baale, and subsequent Baales were from Oteyi Odan. He posited that the progenitor of Sanusi Olawunmi was never rotated between the claimants and the defendant before the inquiry report.
He swore that the claimants, being the ruling house, are entitled to produce the next Oba Ado of Ado village.
“Memorandum of Obaship of Abule Ado made on May 2024 was forwarded to the office of the 14th defendant, stating the historical facts and grounds as to why the claimants be allowed to nominate a candidate for the vacant stool of Ado Village,” he swore.
The claimants also averred that the claimants’ family history, ownership of the land settled upon by Oteyi-Odan, their progenitor himself and baaleship geneology in Abule Ado have always been protected and upheld by the government and public authorities.
