CHIEF ADEYEMI LAWSON V. CHIEF AYO AJIBULU

OGUNDARE, JSC (Delivering the Leading Judgment): The plaintiff Chief A.A. Ajibulu who is a legal practitioner, in 1975 bought a piece or parcel of land measuring 15.05 acres from the Aina Ala Adeniyi families of Agbara village. He affixed on the land a signboard bearing his names as the owner. He later noticed that Chief Adeyemi Lawson was encroaching on the land. Chief Lawson approached him to sell the land to the latter but plaintiff refused. The land was later acquired by the Ogun State Government and released to Chief Lawson's company for development. Plaintiff then instituted his action, first against Chief Lawson alone and, at subsequent stages in the proceedings, he joined Chief Lawson's Company - Lawson and Company (Nigeria) Limited as 2nd defendant and the Commissioner for Lands and Housing Ogun State and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ogun State as 3rd and 4th defendants respectively.

In his final pleadings that went to trial, plaintiff averred, inter al…