Justice O.S. Oloyede of the Ogun State High Court, Sagamu Division, has issued an interim injunction restraining Governor Dapo Abiodun, his agents, and two private firms from further trespass on the 15,309 acres of land belonging to Ilara Remo community in Remo North Local Government Area of the state.
The order, granted on Monday, followed an ex parte application and affidavit of urgency filed by community leaders and representatives of Ilara Remo. The applicants include the Lisa of Ilara Remo, Chief Samuel Olukoya Sodunola; the Oliwo Egudu of Ilara Remo, Chief Babatunde Ogunfeso; the Olootu Asipa Oje of Ilara Remo, Chief Ayedun Akintoye; Mrs Remilekun Ogunfuwa, Public Relations Officer of Ilara Remo Development Association, alongside 19 others.
The suit, with number HCS/377/2025, dated August 18, 2025, sought an interim order stopping the defendants—Governor Abiodun, his agents, Industrial Platform Remo Limited and Arise Integrated Industrial Platform—from “further dealing, trespassing and alienating” the disputed land measuring approximately 6,227.91 hectares (15,309.172 acres) pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion.
Counsel to the applicants, Dr. Olumide Ayeni (SAN), told the court that the community remains the “legal and beneficial owners” of the land as described in Survey Plan No. IL/02/PROV/1998 of June 18, 1998, prepared by Surveyor S.A. Oluwoye.
Ayeni argued that the 4th and 5th defendants had “continued to use the support of the 1st and 2nd defendants to enter the applicants’ lands, started construction works as well as alienating the land up to the present time and continuing unless restrained.”
He further submitted that “damages would not be adequate to compensate the applicants if judgment in the suit is in their favour, if the defendants are allowed to continue trespassing and erecting structures on the applicants’ land pending the determination of this suit.”
According to him, “an allowance of this application will not prejudice the defendants and it is in the interest of justice to allow this application. It is imperative to sustain the status quo ante bellum pending the determination of this suit in order not to present this Honourable Court with a state of complete helplessness or present the applicants with a pyrrhic victory.”
Delivering his ruling, Justice Oloyede held that the application had merit and consequently granted an interim injunction restraining Governor Abiodun, the firms, and their agents “from further trespass of the community’s land” pending the determination of the substantive motion.
The case was adjourned till Monday, September 1, 2025, for further hearing.
