The Ogun State Ministry of Justice has issued a public warning about land grabbers encroaching on government-owned land in the Odogbolu Local Government Area.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN), stated that the Ministry of Justice had discovered a “fraudulent and improperly obtained Customary Court judgement,” which the land grabbers intend to use to deceive members of the public.
Ogungbade stated “The Ogun State Ministry of Justice is compelled by recent developments to issue this urgent notice.
“A few months ago, the Ministry received a petition from individuals representing lineages and descendants of one Oba Alli Ogunnaike Fibiwoga (‘Fibiwoga Family’).”
According to the ministry, “They claimed that they were properly adjudged owners of a family land within the Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State, but were being disturbed in possession of that land by violent trespassers.”
They also presented a survey plan of their 350acre property. According to the Ogun Attorney General, “Further investigation of the complaints and review of the documents provided by these complainants revealed that the land in question is government land.
“Also, two large Ogun State University properties are located on different parts of the land, while other allottees of the State Government are on other parts.
“The entire land claimed by the Fibiwoga Family falls under government acquisition and encroaches on government-occupied land.”
The Ogun ministry also stated that “the judgement obtained at the Customary Court was both fraudulently and improperly obtained, because the complainants who approached that court as plaintiffs knew that the land did not belong to them but proceeded to obtain it anyway, while excluding the State Government, who had an obvious interest in the land.”
It went on to say that none of the named defendants received notice of the suit, and that the trial and judgement took place on the same day, again without notice to the named defendants.
The ministry also stated that “the judgement obtained by Fibiwoga Family never described the land awarded to Fibiwoga Family, and the plaintiffs in that case did not plead a survey plan before the Customary Court.
The Customary Court never mentioned the survey plan while granting reliefs. “The Fibiwoga Family made no mention of the size of their land in any court documents.
Only after the judgement was delivered did Fibiwoga Family tie its current survey plan to the customary court’s decision.
“The Customary Court’s orders were never based on that survey plan, and it cannot be the basis for any execution today.”
According to the Ogun Attorney General’s statement, the Fibiwoga family is currently advertising this fraudulently occupied land as available to the public for use as a residential estate through a self-proclaimed developer, Obatob Properties Limited.
The ministry emphasised that “For the reasons stated above, the Ministry of Justice is taking steps to set aside the judgement that Fibiwoga Family (and Obatob Properties Limited) is fraudulently claiming to.” It stated that “even if the judgement is not set aside, members of the public should be astute enough to examine the judgement and ask these strange vendors where in the judgement the land was described as the one being sold or presented for sale today.
“Thus, the public is hereby notified that the Fibiwoga Family’s claims to 350 acres of land along Lagos Road, Apere Oba via Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, are false, fraudulent, and unfounded.
“In the same vein, Obatob Properties Limited has no land to develop, assign, allot, or administer in the aforementioned area.
Anyone who deals with either entity or any other private person about the land does so at their own risk, and faces a strong government response.”
