Courts back family in 1.4bn covenant University land pursuit

Courts back family in 1.4bn covenant University land pursuit

Following a verdict by an Ogun State High Court, Ota Judicial Division, the coast is now clear for a land-owing family – Arigedibe Matori Oko family of Ota, Ogun state, to continue their suit seeking to take over 13 acres of landed property, which Covenant University presently occupies.

Justice Olugboyega Ogunfowora in suit by the family against the Registered Trustees of World Mission Agency Inc, popularly known as Winners’ Chapel International and its founder, Bishop David Oyedepo, had dismissed the Mission’s bid to dismiss the suit.

Battle over Covenant University, located along Idiroko Road, Ado-Odo/Ota, Ogun State, western Nigeria, has been on for years between the family and the Agency.

Represented by Messrs. Monsuru Ogunseye, Alani Ogunseye, Madam Muinatu Ogunseye and Rasheed Dada, the family had on July 13, 2017, gotten a Court of Appeal’s verdict endorsing their ownership right to the disputed land.

And following the judgment, negotiation had started, but the parley later hit the rock, prompting the family to sue the Agency.

They are seeking eight prayers, including that the trial court should declare that by virtue of the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on 13th July, 2017 in Appeal No: CA/1/264/2010, they are the owners of and entitled to possession of an area of 13 acres of land out of a total area of 508.996 acres of land and an order of the court for them to take possession forthwith of the said area.

Alternatively, the claimants are asking the court to make an order that the defendants to pay them the sum of N1.4b being the current market value of the 13 acres of land on the basis of a valuation reports prepared by Lekan Akinwunmi &Co, a firm of estate surveyor and valuer.

Also, the land owing family are seeking a declaration that they are entitled to damages for occupation and use of their land from 1998 -2018 in the sum of N60m, which they alleged is in tandem with the valuation reports by Lekan Akinwunmi & Co.

Similarly, the claimants are seeking an order that the defendants pay to them the sum of N60m being the assessed value of the occupation and use of their land by the defendants from 1998 – 2018 and thereafter at a pro-rated N3m per annum among others.

But the defendants had contended that the suit was statue bar and therefore should be dismissed.

Ruling on the application, Ogunfowora said: “I thus agree with the claimants that the cause of action in this arose from 13th July, 2017, when the Court of Appeal gave its judgmemt and not from 1998 as posited by the defendants/applicants in their application and the supporting documents.

“The application accordingly lacks merit and is dismissed with costs assessed at N50,000.00”, the judge ruled.

“Although, the defendants acquired a large expanse of land from different families, the subject matter in the suit is a large expanse land covering 13 acres measuring 52,611 square metres and form part of the land accommodating World Mission Agency Incorporated popularly known as Winners. It is a part of land area of the 84 acres measuring 339,948 square metres land of the Arigedibe Matori Oko family out of which 71 acres was conceded to the World Mission Incorporated by the judgement of Court of Appeal, Ibadan Judicial Division, Oyo State.

“This land with other appurtenances situate within the fenced premises of World Mission Incorporation, which is located in a larger enclosure of Winners’ Chapel/Living Faith Church headquarters, Covenant University popularly known and addressed as Canaanland, along Idiroko Road, Ota, in Ado/Odo Local Government Area of Ogun State”, Ogunfowora concluded.