The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has stepped into the storm of a fierce land tussle in Ayobo, Lagos, ordering that all defendants be served through publication in a national newspaper after startling allegations of fraud and misrepresentation rocked the proceedings.
Justice Y. G. Oshoala gave the ruling in Suit No. ID/216/99 involving Mrs. Angelina Adenike Jones, who instituted the action against several defendants, including Oba Sam Shofela Adenekan and others.
The court adjourned the matter to October 7, 2025, for a report of service and hearing of the joinder application.
At the centre of the fresh twist is Mr. Hassan Olalekan Alli, a businessman who stormed the court claiming he is the bona fide owner and occupier of the disputed property at No. 34 Ferguson Osagie Street, Igbo-Ilugbo, Onikanga, Ayobo, Lagos.
In a sworn affidavit, Alli accused the claimant of deliberately misleading the court by naming an “unknown” Chief Akinremi as the supposed fourth defendant and owner of his property.
Alli described the act as a fraudulent ploy designed to manipulate the judicial process and secure judgment against his land without his knowledge or input.
“The claimant is attempting to procure judgment against my property by inserting a fictitious name, thereby shutting me out of a case that directly affects me,” he told the court in his affidavit.
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He alleged that the property in question is lawfully covered by Survey Plan No. FAN/LA/2010/1808, drawn on November 10, 2010, which he tendered as evidence, alongside a Deed of Assignment marked as Exhibit HA1.
He further revealed that the land also hosts his hotel business, which is now at risk if the court fails to intervene.
According to him, the claimant’s “desperate efforts” were nothing short of an attempt to arm-twist him into surrendering his property for no justifiable reason.
He accused Mrs. Jones of “fraudulently covering” his land under a different survey plan allegedly filed by her late father, Gabriel Adekunle Jones, in 1999.
Alli warned that if the alleged manipulation was not uncovered, the court might mistakenly grant judgment against a non-existent person, paving the way for what he termed a “judicial land grab.”
Legal watchers say the case once again highlights the rampant land ownership disputes and alleged use of fictitious names to sway court judgments in Lagos State, where land racketeering remains a thriving menace.
Justice Oshoala, however, ordered that in the interest of fairness, the joinder application and hearing notice be published in a widely circulated national newspaper to ensure all defendants are properly notified before the next aadjourned date.
The matter is now slated for October 7, 2025, when the court will hear arguments on the joinder and possibly open a new phase in the 26-year-old dispute.
