In an escalating legal saga, Harmony Gardens and Estate Development Ltd, has issued a pre-action notice to Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebu land, Ogun State, alongside Oba Kamarudeen Animashaun of Epe, Lagos State, and others. The notice serves as a stern warning against alleged continuous trespass, accusing the traditional rulers of using their influence with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to forcefully take over Harmony Gardens and Estate Development Ltd’s investment in Eyin-Osa Resettlement.
Harmony Gardens and its sister companies, prominent real estate entities, claim investments totaling billions of Naira in the Eyin-Osa, Yegunda, and Abomiti resettlement scheme. The pre-action notice levels accusations of criminal conversion and reselling 94 hectares of land against Oba Sikiru Adetona, Oba Kamarudeen Animashaun, and the Eyin-Osa Resettlement Committee. The notice suggests that the accused parties are presenting the rightful owner, who acquired the land from the Eyin Osa statutory owners, as a landgrabber.
The company emphasizes its legal right to the land, citing the possession of a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) with the number 33/33/2022. The pre-action notice alleges that the defendants are conspiring with the police hierarchy, specifically implicating IGP Egbetokun, to forcefully take over the land and detain the company director under the guise of ongoing investigations. The notice asserts that all related cases have already been investigated, charged to court, and some taken over by the Attorney General’s office.
Accusations against Oba Kamarudeen Animashaun and others include causing divisions by reselling the resettlement land, with claims that the Eyin-Osa Resettlement Committee, including Oba’s son, Idris Animashaun, is complicit in these actions. The notice alleges the committee has sold land to different real estate companies, creating conflicts among investors. It further claims that civil cases such as Awujale vs Iposun are being used to create confusion, with the Kakanfo to Awujale allegedly boasting of receiving $50,000 from Obembe real estate to bribe a judge, a case that does not involve Eyin Osa Government Resettlement Land.
Harmony Gardens vowed to resist any form of intimidation, threats, or manipulation and pledges to protect its investment through all legal means. The pre-action notice accuses Oba Sikiru Adetona of criminally converting and forcefully taking over parts of the company’s 94 hectares of land for resale, including 15 acres to Obembe Properties. The notice suggests an attempt to frame the managing director of Harmony Gardens, with the IGP deploying men of IRT under DC Sanusi to forcefully take over while the company MD was kept under the STS, allegedly hiding under investigating Dotun Hassan’s frivolous petitions.
The notice concludes by urging Oba Sikiru Adetona to use his royal duties to resolve the land dispute or face legal actions within the ambit of the law. Copies of the notice were sent to the Attorney General of Lagos, the Chairman of Eyin Osa Resettlement Committee, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Egbetokun.
As tensions rise, this legal battle promises to be a complex and protracted affair, with potential implications not only for the parties involved but also for the broader real estate landscape in the region. The coming days may shed light on how this dispute will unfold in the courts.