Court Orders Oba Alatishe to Pay N500 million Damages for libel to Asiwaju Adegunwa

An Abeokuta High Court presided over by Justice E.O. Osinuga has slammed N500 million damages against Oba Adetoye Alatishe, the Gbengande of Ososa, in Ijebuland, Ogun State, for libel against a foremost industrialist, Dr. Sulaiman Adegunwa.

Oba Alatishe was also ordered to apologise and do a retraction in three national newspapers, namely Punch, ThisDay, and the Nation, for the malicious petition against the Claimant that was also published in the City People Magazine on January 15th and Obanta Newsday on August 7th, both in 2019.

This was in a case at the High Court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, on Friday, 11th April 2025, where Justice Osinuga stated that the defamatory petition against the Claimant and the publications were demeaning to the Claimant’s highly earned reputation.

The judge equally awarded N500,000 as cost of litigation against the royal father as well as an order of perpetual injunction restraining the monarch from maligning the reputation of the Claimant, a renowned philanthropist and statesman, who had worked earnestly to earn the national award of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), the Asiwaju of Ijebuland, a high profile leader in Ososa, and have contributed immensely to the development of the community, and the nation in general.

The libelous suit with number 4CJ/205/19 and dated November 25, 2019, was filed by the Claimant over what he considered as a defamatory petition letter that Oba Alatishe reportedly wrote against him to former Governor Ibikunle Amosun on January 7, 2019.

The monarch was equally alleged to have sent copies of this petition to the then Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning, the Commissioner for Police as well as the Special Adviser to Gov. Amosun on Urban and Physical Planning, among others.
Oba Alatishe had in this letter alleged that “Alhaji Adegunwa at a gathering had promised to demolish the entire resuscitated and reconstructed Gbengande Market and turn same to a palace, while the present palace will be forcefully turned to a townhall through the office of the Special Adviser on Urban and Physical Planning”.

The monarch warned that “If this threat is not urgently checked and nipped in the bud, it is capable of leading to a monumental breach of peace, serious confrontation and total breakdown of law and order in the community”.

Considering the alleged falsehood of the petition, the Claimant resorted, first, to peaceful resolution, through his legal counsel to request an apology and a retraction of same in three national newspapers but the traditional ruler reneged.

He however sought legal redress given the damage the libelous publication had caused, because City People has national readership, and the dent on his image as a notable industrialist and philanthropist of global repute.

He had prayed the court for a declaration that the words employed by the defendant, the monarch, in his letter of 7th January 2019 and publication in the City People Magazine,  and the Obanta Newsday constitute libel.

Other reliefs sought included N5 billion damages, an order of perpetual injunction restraining the monarch from perpetrating or carrying out any disparaging/libelous publication against him, and a retraction of the libelous publication in three national newspapers, the Punch, ThisDay, and the Nation newspapers.

Also in her judgement, Justice Osinuga affirmed that Oba Alatishe relied on hearsay to arrive at the content of the libelous publication. “When the Kabiyesi was asked how he came about the information as contained in the letter, he said some people told him yet Kabiyesi was not ready to disclose these people,” she stated.

The judge also held that it was wrong and so unwise for the royal father to have refused to tender an apology knowing fully well that he has no evidence to substantiate his allegations against the industrialist. Osinuga held that a defamatory case had been strongly established against the monarch and therefore ruled in favour of the Claimant.

Mohbad: Lawyer Distances Himself from GoFundMe, Says Toxicology Test Was Done Free of Charge

Lagos, Nigeria — April 16, 2025 — Mr. Taiwo Odumosu, a lawyer who previously represented the family of the late Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has publicly dissociated himself from a GoFundMe account created in support of the investigation into the singer’s death.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to PUNCH Metro, Odumosu clarified that he had no involvement in any financial transactions related to the autopsy or toxicology analysis, stressing that the family handled all payments directly with the pathologist.

“At no point was any payment routed through me or my law office. Mr. Famuyiwa made the payment directly to the pathologist,” he stated. “I wish to state clearly that I know nothing about the GoFundMe account. I am neither in charge of nor a signatory to the account created for Mohbad’s cause.”

Odumosu also revealed a significant development—that the toxicology test on the late singer’s remains was conducted free of charge by a foreign laboratory in Europe. He urged the family to be transparent about the remaining funds in the GoFundMe account.

“At a meeting attended by both Mr. Famuyiwa and me, the pathologist disclosed that the European laboratory that conducted the toxicology test did so free of charge. Accordingly, the family should publicly disclose how the remaining funds in the GoFundMe account have been managed,” he explained.

Pathologist Praised, Defamation Decried

The lawyer expressed dismay at the spread of misinformation and what he described as targeted defamation against himself and the forensic expert who took on the case, calling it “unwarranted and damaging.”

“The pathologist showed remarkable courage by engaging with a case that many colleagues hesitated to touch, due to its sensitive and high-profile nature,” Odumosu said, defending the credibility of the forensic process.

He affirmed that the post-mortem and toxicology procedures were handled with integrity, insisting that justice would ultimately prevail—not only for Mohbad but also for those unjustly accused.

“To the best of my knowledge, the post-mortem examination was conducted with utmost professionalism. Justice will prevail, not just for Mohbad, but against all who attempt to twist the truth and defame those who stand for it,” Odumosu concluded.

Lagos Assembly Calls For Full Implementation of Tenancy Law

The Lagos State House of Assembly has called on the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to enforce the Tenancy Law of Lagos State 2015 to deter landlords from the arbitrary and illegal practice of unregulated rent increase in the state. The House also resolved to call on the Commissioner for Information and Strategy to rev up sensitisation and awareness activities about the provisions of the Tenancy Law.

This resolution was reached during plenary on Tuesday after a motion by Hon. Sa’ad Olumoh, the member representing Ajeromi Ifelodun Constituency 1, on the need to curb excessive rent increments by landlords, which he said have led to an increase in the number of homeless people across the state. Hon. Olumoh cited Section 37 of the Tenancy Law of 2015, which prohibits unreasonable rent increases and provides legal protection for tenants against this act by landlords.

Indeed, the Lagos State Tenancy Law 2015 aims to protect tenants and landlords in the state by outlining the rights and obligations of both parties, including provisions for rent payment, notice periods for termination of tenancy, and dispute resolution. The law also sets a limit on how much rent can be paid in advance and prohibits landlords from using ‘self-help’ methods to evict tenants.

The member representing Surulere Constituency 1, Hon. Desmond Elliot, seconded the motion, complaining that because of the infrastructural development and renewal designed to make life easier for his constituents, rents have, conversely, skyrocketed. He described this as a menace to society and called for urgent action by the House as “the last hope of the common man.”

In his contribution, Hon. Aro Moshood slammed the fact that many landlords in Lagos State raise rent without considering the income of their tenants, while the law states that the landlord cannot do so without duly serving the tenant prior notification. The member representing Ikorodu Constituency 11 further condemned the eviction of occupants without going through the legal process as stipulated in the Law, saying, “Many people earning minimum wage cannot afford to get a room for themselves.”

However, Hon. Shabi Adebola (Lagos Mainland 11 Constituency) called for circumspection in enforcing the law because of the corresponding increase in the prices of building materials. He implored the government to live up to expectations by providing Low-Cost Housing to the less privileged in the state.

Similarly, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, described the issue as sensitive, stating, “Nothing should be looked at in isolation. We need to go beyond the issue of rent increment and consider the cost of building materials. There is a need for an interface between the real estate agents and investors.”

To this end, Speaker Obasa directed the Committee on Housing, chaired by Hon. Ege Olusegun (Ojo Constituency 1), to invite Hon. Olumoh and Hon. Elliot, and all concerned stakeholders and related agencies to meet and find a lasting solution to this menace.

In another development, the House passed the bill for a law to establish the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy, which aims to provide for the development of young persons for leadership purposes in the state while nurturing the next generation of value-based Nigerian leaders. Subsequently, the Speaker directed the Acting Clerk, Mr. Abubakar Otun, to send a clean copy of the Bill to the governor for assent.