Tension has gripped the Ikeja area of Lagos following the alleged invasion of a property belonging to the Akinole-Oshiun family by suspected hoodlums.

The hoodlums were alleged to have acted on the orders of a federal lawmaker and officials of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA).

The head of the family, Chief Owolabi Sule, alleged that violence was unleashed on the property despite what he described as “final and binding” court judgments affirming the family’s ownership rights.

According to the family, armed thugs stormed the property located along Lateef Jakande Road, opposite the Coca-Cola factory in Agidingbi, in the early hours of Monday, May 25, 2026.

They were alleged to have demolished a newly erected perimeter fence and forcefully removed the entrance gate in what witnesses described as a terrifying overnight operation.

The incident has sparked renewed controversy over alleged land grabbing, political influence and disregard for court judgments in Lagos State.

The family alleged that the attackers operated under the cover of darkness and acted on the instructions of the lawmaker and officials of OORBDA.

Residents in the area were reportedly thrown into panic as the operation unfolded during the night. “This was not just destruction of property; it was a direct assault on the rule of law,” the family stated in a strongly worded report issued after the incident.

The disputed land, measuring about 8,097 square metres, forms part of a larger expanse of land in Agidingbi that has been the subject of legal disputes spanning several decades.

The family maintained that courts from the High Court to the Supreme Court had consistently affirmed its ownership rights over the land.

According to the report, the Lagos State High Court entered judgment in favour of the family in suit No. ID/216/77L between Sule Akinole & Anor v. A.T.O. Mogaji & Ors. Subsequent appeals challenging the judgment were reportedly dismissed by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

The family further disclosed that an attempt by the Lagos State Government to reopen the matter at the Court of Appeal in 2007 was also dismissed for lacking merit.

Following the legal victories, the family said it obtained a writ of possession and successfully recovered the land through a court-supervised execution in 2019.

It added that the Lagos State Government later initiated reconciliation efforts with land-owning families in Agidingbi and eventually allocated portions of land to the Akinole-Oshiun family in 2025, including the disputed parcel opposite the Coca-Cola factory.

According to the family, the allocation was accompanied by official survey documents authenticated by the Surveyor-General of Lagos State, after which possession of the land was formally handed over to it.

The family said it subsequently commenced development on the property, including fencing and installation of a gate, before the structures were allegedly demolished overnight.

However, in a dramatic twist, the family alleged that the lawmaker insisted the land belongs to OORBDA based on a Certificate of Occupancy allegedly issued to the agency by the Lagos State Government in 1994.

The lawmaker was also alleged to have claimed a 20-year lease over the property. The family, however, dismissed the claim as “lame, preposterous and contemptuous,” insisting that no certificate of occupancy or lease agreement could override subsisting court judgments and executed possession orders.

The incident has triggered calls for investigation and possible prosecution of all persons allegedly connected to the demolition.