A High Court in the Abeokuta judicial division of Ogun State has fixed 2 July 2026 for the continuation of the trial of a land matter involving a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Michael Fasanu and a chartered engineer, Olatunji Sowunmi.
This followed the agreement reached by both parties’ counsel during the court’s last sitting last Monday.
The claimant, Sowunmi, had filed the case against Fasanu over a land located at Quarter 192, Gbadebo Road at the Government Reservation Area, Ibara, Abeokuta, the state capital.
According to the statement of claim, the parcel of land measures approximately 6,174,090 square meters, which the claimant alleged that the defendant unlawfully trespassed upon.
Sowunmi argued that he is the beneficial owner of the land, adding that the property is among several others owned by the Federal Government. He stated that, sometime in or about 2010, the Federal Government announced its intention to dispose of its least interest in various properties, which it owned across the country.
The claimant explained that N15,315,195, comprising the consideration of N14,585,900 for the leasehold interest in the property, together with statutory fees for the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy and other ancillary charges were met.
The claimant said it was in the course of developing the land that he discovered that the property had been encroached upon in part, from the back fence off, by the defendant.
The claimant added that the defendant had not only wrongly encroached upon the said portion of the property, but had also taken steps to dispose of the same by advertising and offering the encroached portion of the property for sale at a substantial monetary value
During last Monday’s sitting, the claimant opened his case, adopted his witness statement on oath, and tendered his documents of title to support his claim that the property originally belonged to the Federal Government.
The claimant, who was led by his counsel, Sina Sofola (SAN), was thereafter cross-examined by the defendant, who appeared for himself as counsel in the matter, while a surveyor, one Adeaga, also gave evidence on behalf of the claimant that he produced a dispute survey and composite plan to show the land in dispute, which the claimant said that the defendant trespassed on.
