Land Dispute: Adewuyi Family Sues Ooni, Ife Traditional Council Over Agbonbiti Village

The family of the late Chief Samuel Adetunji Adewuyi has dragged the Ife Traditional Council and other defendants before the Osun State High Court sitting in Ifetedo over the ownership of Agbonbiti Village in Ile-Ife, Ife South Local Government Area.

The suit, numbered HFT/5/2024, was instituted by five members of the Adewuyi family — Prince Adegbenga Adewuyi, Prince Adediji Adewuyi, Prince Adefemi Adewuyi, Prince Adeposi Adewuyi and Prince Adegboye Adewuyi — on behalf of the late Prince Samuel Adetunji Adewuyi family.

The claimants are asking the court to declare that Agbonbiti Village, covered by a survey map dated April 15, 1966, and a composite survey plan dated February 29, 2024, belongs exclusively to the Adewuyi family.

Named as defendants in the suit are the Ooni of Ife, Oba Babatunde Enitan Ogunwusi; the Ologudu of Ogudu, Ife, Oba Jimoh Ajayi; Barrister Funminiyi Adeyemi Adetise; and Prince Siji Adefarakan.

In their statement of claim, the Adewuyi family contended that the disputed land became their exclusive property following a grant made by the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, who they said was the younger brother of the late Chief Samuel Adetunji Adewuyi.

The claimants maintained that the land had ceased to form part of communal land in Ile-Ife following the grant.

According to the family, when Oba Aderemi ascended the throne around 1930, he directed Ife indigenes interested in farming to take portions of available virgin forest for cultivation.

The claimants said their father, Chief Samuel Adetunji Adewuyi, popularly known as Baba Isale, subsequently took possession of the virgin forest that later became Agbonbiti Village and became its first settler.

They further claimed that their father granted portions of the land to tenants, who paid rents to him during his lifetime and subsequently to his children after his death.

The family argued that under Yoruba customary practice, once land had been granted for hunting or cultivation, the Ooni and the Ife Traditional Council no longer retained control over such land, describing the grant as absolute.

They also relied on a Certificate of Grant dated June 23, 1977, which they said was issued by Oba Aderemi and referenced the April 15, 1966 survey plan prepared by J.O. Gilbert.

The claimants argued that the transaction was not merely a private arrangement between two brothers, but an official grant made by Oba Aderemi in his capacity as Ooni of Ife.

They further stated that Oba Aderemi had made similar land grants to various individuals and families, including members of the royal household, ordinary residents and Modakeke people.

The Adewuyi family also told the court that the Ife Traditional Council was aware of the 1977 title document but did not challenge their claim to the land for several decades.

They noted that there had allegedly been no challenge to their family’s occupation and management of the land for almost a century and for about 49 years after the certificate was issued, including during the more than 35-year reign of the late Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade.

The claimants further alleged that some persons they described as thugs and cultists had been stationed on the disputed land with weapons, allegedly to harass their tenants and dispossess residents of their valuables.

However, the defendants, in their statement of defence filed on behalf of themselves and the Ife Traditional Council, disputed the family’s claim of exclusive ownership.

They maintained that communal land in Ile-Ife was not absolutely vested in the stool of the Ooni but was held in trust for the entire Ife community.

The defendants argued that under Ife customary practice, any grant or allocation of communal land must be made in conjunction with the Ife Traditional Council to be binding on the corporation sole of the Ooni’s stool.

The defendants stated, “All grants or allocations must be done in conjunction with the Ife Traditional Council, otherwise the grant is not binding on the corporation sole of the stool.”

They acknowledged that parcels of land were allocated to families for farming but maintained that ownership remained vested in the Ife community, with the Traditional Council administering such land in trust for the people.

The defendants also described the alleged grant of Agbonbiti Village by Oba Aderemi to his brother, Sooko Samuel Adetunji, as a personal transaction arising from their cordial relationship, arguing that it was not an act performed in the official capacity of the Ooni or on behalf of the Ife Traditional Council.

In their counterclaim, the defendants asked the court to declare that Agbonbiti Village, covered by the disputed survey plans, is communal land belonging to Ile-Ife.

They further asked the court to declare that the land is vested in the Ooni and the Ife Traditional Council only in their capacity as trustees, with responsibility for managing and superintending it with the consent of the Ife people as represented by the council.

The court has adjourned the matter to October 28 and November 25, 2026, for continuation of hearing at the Osun State High Court, Ilesa Judicial Division.

The court is expected to determine the competing claims of the Adewuyi family and the Ife Traditional Council over the ownership and customary status of the disputed Agbonbiti Village.