MICHAEL AKINOLA
The family of late Lagos business Mogul, Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu, has alerted the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo Olu and the general public of the illegal and unlawful re-allocation of the late businessman’ s landed property in the Agidingbi area of the State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that members of the family have therefore, warned members of the General Public that the administrators of the estate will “resist any unlawful interference” in their late patriarch’s property.
The Ashamu Oyedele Family in a notice to the public said, ” This is to warn the General Public that this parcel of land belongs to The Estate of Late Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu by virtue of Deed of Conveyance dated 12th of December, 1962 registered as No. 16 on Page 16 in Volume 600; Deed of Conveyance dated 4th May, 1963 and registered as N0 56 on Page 56 in Volume 651; Deed of Conveyance dated 14th May, 1963 and registered as N0 57 on Page 57 in Volume 651; Deed of Conveyance dated 25th November, 1965 and registered as N010 on Page 10 in Volume 884 and; Deed of Assignment dated 30th June, 1973 and registered as N0 32 in 32 in Volume 1425 in the office of the Registrar of Titles, Land Registry, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos amongst other land transfer instruments”.
“Members of the Public are hereby warned to refrain from dealing with certain unscrupulous elements parading themselves as owners of the land and offering the land for sale.”
The family added, “The Administrators of the Estate shall resist any form of unlawful interference with their proprietary rights over the land and ensure that the trespassers are brought to book in accordance with the law.”
According to them, their late father’s ownership of the said re-allocated property is backed by : “Certified True Copy of Deed of Conveyance dated 12th December, 1962 and registered as No. 16 at Page 16 in Volume 600 of the Lands Registry in the office at Ibadan,
Certified True Copy of Deed of Conveyance dated 24th May, 1963 and
registered as No. 57 at Page 57 in Volume 651 of the Lands Registry in the
office at Ibadan, Certified True Copy of Deed of Conveyance dated 14th May, 1963 and registered as No. 56 at Page 56 in Volume 656 at the Lands Registry in theoffice at Ibadan.”
Also “A Certified True Copy of Deed of Conveyance dated 22nd of May, 1963 and registered as No. 41 at Page 41 in Volume 646 of the Lands Registry in the
office at Ibadan, Certified True Copy of Deed of Conveyance dated 10th day of March 1969 and registered as No. 95 at Page 95 in Volume 1300 of the Lands Registry in the office at Lagos, Certified True Copy of Deed of Conveyance dated 10th day of March 1969 and registered as No. 87 at Page 87 in Volume 1285 of the Lands Registry in the office at Lagos.”
According to the family, “In 1963 there was a compulsory acquisition of 601.2 acres of the land whose title was vested in Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu by the Government of the Western Region ostensibly for public purpose.
It is a mandatory requirement of the law that for a compulsory acquisition of land for public purpose to be valid, there must be prompt payment of compensation to the beneficial owner of the land”.
The Oyedele Ashamu family continued, “The Government of the Western Region failed to pay prompt compensation to the Late Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu for the land, which was compulsorily acquired from him.”
They stressed, “Sequel to the creation of Lagos State in 1967, the land purportedly acquired from Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu was transferred by the Government of Western Region to the Lagos State Government”.
“In 1969, the same land was again acquired by the Lagos State Government vide Lagos State Notice No 236 of 14th of October 1969 but without payment of any compensation to Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu as required by law.”
They pointed out that, “In effect, the failure of the Lagos State Government to effect payment of compensation to Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu in respect of the land invalidates the compulsory acquisition of his land”.
The upshot is that by virtue of Section 34(2) of the Land Use Act, Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu was the deemed holder of the Statutory Right of
Occupancy in respect of the vast expanse of land situated at Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, as at the time of his death on the 20th day of August 1992. The right of occupancy which was vested in him devolved on our clients by operation of law.
“Strangely, by a letter dated 8th April 2025 the Lands Bureau under the office of Mr. Governor allocated to the Akinole Oshiun Family a portion of our clients’
land along Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, measuring an
area of 4177.936 square metres.”
“The allocation is wrongful, unlawful, invalid, and unjustifiable in that our clients have a subsisting Statutory Right of Occupancy over the land.”
