By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
Ogun State High Court sitting in Sagamu, has extended the interim injunction restraining Governor Dapo Abiodun and his agents from further trespassing on 15,309 acres of land belonging to Ilara Remo community in the Remo North Local Government Area of the state.
The court also restrained Industrial Platform Remo Limited and Arise Integrated Industrial Platform from further trespassing on the same land.
The presiding Justice O.S. Oloyede, on Monday, at the resumed hearing of the suit, marked HCS/377/2025 and dated August 18, 2025, ordered the extension by three months the earlier interlocutory injunction granted on September 1st to allow the defendants’ counsel regularise their papers before the court.
Mr M O Enitan who stood in for Olasupo Sashore, SAN, announced his appearance as counsel for the first defendant, Gov Abiodun while Mr W. A. Onawole from the state Ministry of Justice appeared as counsel for the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice as well as the Bureau of Land Ogun State.
Also, Mr M. O. Mordi appeared as counsel to the 4th defendant, Industrial Platform Remo.
All the defendants’ counsel told the court that they were yet to regularise their papers before the court hence the for extension.
However, counsel to the claimants, Dr Olumide Ayeni, SAN in the light of the submissions by the defendants’ counsel pleaded for the extension of the injunction order pending the next adjournment date.
Justice Oloyede while acceding to the request of the claimants has therefore fixed January 13, 2026 for further hearing of the suit.
The court had earlier gave the injunction order following an ex parte application and affidavit of urgency filed by 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 the Ilara Remo Development Association; and 19 others.
In the suit dated August 18, 2025, the applicants had sought for an interim injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, officers, or privies from further dealing with, trespassing on, or alienating the land—measuring approximately 6,227.91 hectares (15,309.172 acres) and described in Survey Plan No. IL/02/PROV/1998 of June 18, 1998—pending the determination of their motion for interlocutory injunction.
Counsel for the applicants, Dr. Ayeni argued that his clients are the legal and beneficial owners of the land and accused the 4th and 5th defendants of “surreptitiously erecting structures” and alienating parts of the land to third parties in an attempt to “foist a fait accompli on the court.”
He added: “The 4th and 5th defendants have continued to use the support of the 1st and 2nd defendants to enter the applicants’ lands, start construction works, and alienate the land up to the present time and will continue unless restrained. Damages would not be adequate to compensate the applicants if judgment is ultimately in their favour.”
Ayeni further submitted that granting the application would not prejudice the defendants, stressing that it was in the interest of justice to preserve the status quo ante bellum pending determination of the substantive suit.
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