The Ogun State High Court in the Isheri/Ojodu Judicial Division has granted an interim injunction restraining the state government and other respondents from transferring, selling, entering or otherwise dealing with a 184.751-hectare parcel of ancestral land measuring approximately 458.529 acres in Warewa Town, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Justice A.A. Babawale made the order following an ex-parte application filed in suit HCO/370/2026, with Filing No. OGUN/AFF/101994/2026, by Oba Sulaiman Adekunle Bamgbade, the Olofin of Isheri, on behalf of himself and the Olofin Chieftaincy Family.
The monarch approached the court over alleged moves by the Ogun State Government and other parties to transfer the disputed ancestral land to the Kasumu family through a proposed settlement arrangement.
The five respondents are the Attorney-General of Ogun State, the Registrar of Titles, Ogun State, the Surveyor-General of Ogun State, Otunba Habeeb Kasumu, also known as Limson, and Mr Bolaji Kasumu, with the two Kasumu respondents described as beneficiaries of the Estate of Alimi Ayinde Kasumu.
The disputed property is situated within the designated two-kilometre corridor acquisition along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at Warewa Town in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The parcel is identified under Survey Plan No. LC.9691(OG), drawn by the Surveyor-General of Ogun State.
In a sworn affidavit filed before the court, Oba Bamgbade alleged that officials of the Ogun State Government were taking secret steps to finalise a settlement agreement that would give ownership of the 458-acre communal land to the Kasumu family.
The Olofin maintained that Warewa Town is an integral part of the historic Isheri land and was founded centuries ago by his ancestor, Ogunfuminire. He therefore argued that the reigning Olofin of Isheri is the customary overlord of the ancestral territory and that any transfer of the land without his consent would be illegal and could cause permanent damage to the community.
The monarch was represented by O.A. Olasewere, A.O. Balogun, Oladipo Olasewere and H.K. Salaudeen of Rooftop Chambers.
His legal team sought the court’s intervention to prevent any settlement agreement or transaction from being concluded in respect of the disputed property before the substantive issues are determined.
Justice Babawale, in the interim order, restrained the Ogun State Government and its agencies from signing or implementing any settlement agreement concerning the property covered by Survey Plan No. LC.9691(OG).
The respondents were also restrained from transferring the land to the Kasumu family or any third party.
The court further stopped all five respondents from selling, entering upon, occupying, developing, transferring, alienating or otherwise dealing with the disputed property pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.
The interim injunction effectively preserves the status quo over the 184.751-hectare property while the parties return to court to present their respective positions on the ownership and control of the land.
The order also prevents any of the respondents from taking steps capable of changing the status of the property while the matter remains before the court, thereby protecting the disputed land from any immediate sale, transfer or other transaction.
The case has now brought the question of ancestral ownership and customary control of the Warewa portion of Isheri land before the Ogun State High Court, with the Olofin of Isheri seeking to stop what he considers an unauthorised transfer of communal ancestral property.
However, the interim injunction does not amount to a final determination of ownership of the land or conclusively settle the competing claims of the parties. The court has only preserved the property pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.