The Ogunmokun Family has given a quit notice to the occupants of the land where the Federal College of Agriculture Akure, the Ondo State capital (FECA) is situated.
The notice signed by family head, Michael Ajayi, and Secretary, Gbenga Ajayi, was consequent upon the judgment of the Supreme Court that ceded portions of the land where the College of Agriculture is situated.
The tenants included several filling stations along the Akure/Owo/Ilesha road, Abuja Motor Park, where passengers travelling outside Akure, the state capital, to Northern parts of the country board vehicles, and shop owners around the College of Agriculture.
An Akure High Court presided over by Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye had granted the Ogunmokun Family the right of occupancy in respect of a piece and parcel of land situated at Akure/Owo/ Ilesha road to the family.
The court declared that at no time was the land in question acquired by the state or the Federal Government for any purpose and that the Federal Government can only acquire a piece of land for a public purpose and not for other purposes like selling, leasing, alienating, or transferring to any individuals.
Also, the court held that the state and Federal Government can only acquire land from individuals, families, groups of persons, and communities by following due process and that the acquisition of the land without due process is null and void.
Displeased by the decision of the court, the Federal Government and the College approached the Court of Appeal to upturn the judgment of the lower court.
However, the appellate court presided over by Justices Oyebisi Folakemi Omolade, Fredrick Oziakpono Ono, and Yusuf Alhaji Bashir affirmed the judgment of the Court that ceded parts of the land where FECA was situated to the Ogunmokun family.
In a unanimous decision read by Justice Ono described the appeal filed by the Federal Government as moribund, resolved all issues raised against the government, and dismissed them accordingly with a fine of N500.000.00.
Not satisfied with the decision of the appellate court, the appellants in the suit including the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the Federal College of Agriculture, the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice asked the Supreme Court to dismiss judgment at the trial and appellate courts.
But the Supreme Court, presided over by Justices Musa Abba Aji, Ibrahim M. Musa Saulawa, Emmanuel Akomolafe Agim, Chidiebere Nwaoma, and Abubakar Sadiq Umar, dismissed the notice of appeal filed by the Federal Government and its agencies.
The apex court held that the notice of appeal filed in April 2024 was incompetent and was consequently struck out.
The Ogunmokun Family, in its notice, said the tenants who have been paying rents to the management of the College should quit the spaces allocated to them for them to take possession.
