High Chief Kayode Awofiranye, a chief of the Ooni of Ife, has testified before the Osun State High Court that the late Oba Adesoji Aderemi granted the land known as Agbonbiti village to the family of his younger brother, Chief Samuel Adetunji Adewuyi. Awofiranye gave this testimony as a defence witness in a land ownership dispute between the Adewuyi family and the Ife Traditional Council. The case is currently before Justice M. O. Agboola.
During cross-examination, Awofiranye confirmed that Oba Aderemi granted the disputed land to the Adewuyi family and also made similar land grants to other people. The property in question is Agbonbiti village, located in Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State. Awofiranye stated that there had been no disagreement between him and the Adewuyi family over the land and that, to his knowledge, the grant had not been revoked.
The testimony was given in a suit instituted by five members of the Adewuyi family, who are seeking a declaration that Agbonbiti village is the exclusive property of the Adewuyi family. The claimants, Princes Adegbenga, Adediji, Adefemi, Adeposi, and Adegboye Adewuyi, are relying on a survey map dated April 15, 1966, and a composite survey plan dated February 29, 2024, to support their claim.
The Adewuyi family maintained that the disputed land was granted to their late patriarch by Oba Aderemi, his elder brother, and that the transaction conferred exclusive ownership on them, removing the property from the communal landholding of Ile-Ife. However, the Ife Traditional Council and other defendants are challenging the claim, insisting that Agbonbiti remains communal property belonging to Ile-Ife.
The defendants argued that communal land is held in trust for the entire community and that any valid allocation must involve the Ife Traditional Council. They maintained that the alleged grant by Ooni Aderemi to his younger brother was a personal arrangement that did not automatically confer exclusive ownership of the property on the Adewuyi family.
At the resumed hearing, counsel for the defendants sought to tender certain documents referred to by Awofiranye in his statement on oath as evidence. The documents were deposed to on February 3, 2025. Through their counterclaim, the defendants are asking the court to declare Agbonbiti village communal property belonging to Ile-Ife and held in trust by the Ife Traditional Council.
The case is ongoing, with the court yet to deliver a verdict. The Adewuyi family is seeking a declaration of exclusive ownership of Agbonbiti village, while the Ife Traditional Council is challenging the claim, insisting that the property remains communal land. Key points in the case include:
Key points
- Oba Aderemi granted Agbonbiti village to the Adewuyi family
- The grant was a personal arrangement between Oba Aderemi and his younger brother
- The Ife Traditional Council insists that Agbonbiti remains communal property belonging to Ile-Ife
