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Mabudeje Family Wins Agbowa-Ikosi Kingship Appeal
The Court of Appeal in Lagos has overturned a previous judgment of the Lagos State High Court and upheld the right of the Mabudeje Royal Family to nominate a candidate for the vacant stool of the Abowa of Agbowa-Ikosi.
In a judgment delivered on May 30, 2025, the appellate court ruled that the lower court erred in law and failed to properly assess the evidence presented in the long-standing dispute over the traditional leadership of the Agbowa-Ikosi community in Ikosi-Ejinrin LCDA of Lagos State.
In Appeal No: CA/LAG/CV/1104/2023, the panel of justices, led by Justice Ngozika Okaisabor, held that the Mabudeje Royal Family, represented by Prince Babatunde Adenusi and others, had established their entitlement to the kingship based on credible and consistent evidence.
The court found that the High Court was wrong to have recognised the nomination and selection of Prince (Barr.) Owolabi Saheed Momson, who was joined as the 8th defendant in the suit, as the rightful Oba.
Justice Okaisabor, in the lead judgment, noted that a key piece of evidence presented by the claimants, a 2007 meeting of the Oba-in-Council admitted as Exhibit P9, revealed that the Aduloju family had clearly disassociated themselves from the Mabudeje lineage. Quoting from the minutes of the meeting, the court stated: “The 6th Respondent in the said Exhibit P9 denied being member of Mabudeje family and further stated that there is no one in their family who bears such a name.”
The appellate court found this disavowal significant, especially since the lower court had based its findings on a nomination process facilitated by the Aduloju family, which, by their own account, was not part of the Mabudeje ruling house.
Justice Okaisabor concluded that the evidence of the claimants was more coherent and reliable than that of the respondents.
The court also found that the proper legal process for involving the rightful royal family in the nomination had not been followed. Specifically, it determined that no valid communication was made by the authorities to the Mabudeje family inviting them to put forward a nominee.
“The said evidence of Appellants’ PW1… is that the 4th respondent did not write to them but wrote to the Adulojus as Mabudeje family, whereas Adulojus is not Mabudeje family,” the judgment noted.
Based on these findings, the Court of Appeal granted all the principal reliefs sought by the claimants. It issued a declaration affirming the right of the Mabudeje Royal Family to fill the vacant kingship stool and ordered the relevant government and chieftaincy authorities to invite the family to submit a nominee for installation.
“A DECLARATION that the claimants are entitled to the immediate right to fill the vacant stool of the Abowa of Agbowa-Ikosi in the Ejinrin/Eredo Local Government Development Area of Lagos State.
“AN ORDER compelling the 1st – 5th Defendants to call for the claimants’ nominee for the vacant stool of the Abowa of Agbowa-Ikosi and install the nominee as the Abowa of Agbowa-Ikosi.”
The judgment was supported by Justices Mohammed Mustapha and Paul Ahmed Bassi, who concurred with the lead decision.
At the hearing of the appeal held on April 7, 2025, the appellants were represented by a legal team led by human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, along with S.O.K. Shillings and Fawaz Odusote. Afees A. Abdullahi, counsel for the 2nd and 3rd respondents, was also in attendance, though none of the respondents filed briefs of argument. The court proceeded to determine the matter solely on the basis of the appellants’ submission.
Guardian.ng
News
BREAKING: KWAM 1 Writes Ogun Govt, Accuses Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Plot to Exclude Him From Awujale Selection
Popular Fuji musician and Olori Omooba of Ijebu land, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, widely known as KWAM1, has written to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, alleging that he is being deliberately sidelined from the ongoing process to select the next Awujale of Ijebu land.
Ayinde, in a petition dated January 8, 2026, accused the Fusengbuwa ruling house next in line to produce the monarch of taking actions that allegedly violate the Chieftaincy Declaration and the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State. He claimed the moves were designed to disenfranchise him from contesting for the revered throne.
The letter, written on his behalf by his lawyer, Dr. Wahab Shittu, SAN, was addressed to Governor Abiodun and outlined what the Fuji star described as procedural irregularities in the selection process.
According to the petition, the contest for the Awujale stool has attracted over 60 aspirants, with Ayinde formally declaring his interest. However, the Fusengbuwa family has maintained that KWAM1 is not a member of the ruling house and is therefore ineligible to participate in the exercise.
Before writing to the governor, Ayinde had approached the Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu Ode, seeking an interim injunction to restrain Governor Abiodun and six others from continuing with the selection process. The court, however, dismissed the application, ruling that it lacked merit. The musician later withdrew the suit without publicly stating his reasons.
In his latest letter, Ayinde disclosed that the Ijebu Ode Local Government, via a letter dated January 6, 2026, signed by its Secretary, Oke Adebanjo, had approved the commencement of the selection process by the ruling house.
He expressed surprise that while members of the Fusengbuwa family were preparing for a general meeting, the family’s Public Relations Officer, Prince Adeleye Lateef Ademuyiwa, allegedly issued a notice directing aspirants to collect nomination forms and appear before a screening committee.
The screening committee, according to Ayinde, is chaired by Prince Alhaji Mitiu Adenuga. He further alleged that the directive fixed the nomination exercise for Monday, January 12, 2026, while also stating that the process would be conducted by delegates to be selected at a meeting scheduled for January 10, 2026.
Ayinde argued that the sequence of events was confusing, contradictory, and contrary to established laws guiding traditional chieftaincy matters in Ogun State.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Ogun State Government nor the Fusengbuwa ruling house had officially responded to the allegations.
Lagos Reporters will continue to monitor developments surrounding the Awujale succession process and provide updates as the story unfolds.
News
“Do Not Test Trump’s Resolve”: US Issues Fresh Threat To Nigeria
A United States Congressman, Rep. Riley M. Moore, has warned Nigeria not to take the resolve of President Donald Trump with levity, adding that the US president remained steadfast in his bid to protect Christians in Nigeria, while reiterating the false allegation that Christians have continued to face prosecution in the West African country.
Moore’s warning came days after the US president issued another military action in Nigeria, adding that he would not be carrying out a single operation in Nigeria if the alleged Christian persecution continues in the country.
The threat came days after the United States launched a military strike in Sokoto, targeting some terrorist hideouts in the country. The strike affected other states such as Niger and Kwara.
However, Trump, in an interview with The New York Times, published on Thursday, January 8, while responding to questions about a US military strike carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day, said: “I’d love to make it a one-time strike. But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike,” Trump said.
Moore took to social media to reiterate Trump’s second threat to the country and warned Nigeria against overlooking the threat. His warning did not sit well with many Nigerians, who took to the comment section of the post and expressed their views about his claim. Below are some of their comments:
Omolayo accused the US of bombing a Christian country, Venezuela, and stealing its oil: “What about Venezuela, which is 80% Christian? Trump doesn’t care about Christians, but I grudgingly welcome his presence in the northern part of Nigeria.”
Umar Yusuf Dayyabu knocked the US: “The same US that just finished bombing a Christian country (Venezuela) and is currently stealing their oil is now claiming to want to save Christians in Nigeria. The US only wants our natural resources, that’s it.”
Amadu Yahuza accused the Trump administration of imperialism: “Let’s be clear: if the U.S. is claiming to defend Christians in Nigeria but simultaneously tightens visa access for Nigerians broadly, including Christians, that is not solidarity, it’s hypocrisy. Trump’s statements about Nigerian Christians are political branding, while visa restrictions, federal actions, and international messaging are geopolitical moves.”
Garvy accused the lawmaker of turning a blind eye to the killing of Christians in the US: “I guess you were blind to Christians murdered right in front of your nose in Salt Lake City, and you were blind to that. Suppose their lives don’t matter, right?”
You can read more reactions on X here:
President Trump is serious about his steadfast support to protecting our brothers and sisters in Christ who continue to face persecution in Nigeria.
Do not test @POTUS' resolve. https://t.co/vd8t0LXdKc
— Rep. Riley M. Moore (@RepRileyMoore) January 9, 2026
News
Buhari’s Ex-Minister Pantami Breaks Silence Over Alleged Wedding Plan With Aisha Buhari
False claims linking former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, with former First Lady, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, have been dismissed after an independent verification found the story to be entirely fabricated.
The rumour, which spread rapidly across Facebook and X, alleged that the two were planning a marriage and circulated alongside an image described online as a pre wedding photograph.
The post gained wide traction after several users pointed to Aisha Buhari’s completion of her Islamic mourning period following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2025.
Public figures also reshared the image, drawing thousands of comments and reactions and fuelling speculation among social media users.
A fact check carried out by PRNigeria found no credible evidence supporting the claim. Reviews of the verified social media accounts of both Pantami and Aisha Buhari showed no statements or references linked to any marriage plan. Searches across reputable news platforms also returned no matching reports.
Further forensic analysis subjected the viral photograph to InVid verification and artificial intelligence detection tools. The assessment confirmed that the image was digitally manipulated and generated through artificial means, with faces inserted into a wedding-themed template.
Pantami addressed the allegation directly in a phone conversation with PRNigeria.
“It is shocking that anyone would fabricate such a rumour. President Buhari is a father figure to us, and we regard his widow as a mother. The claim is baseless and impossible,” he said.
Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to the late president, also rejected the story on his Facebook page in Hausa.
“The story being circulated that Hajiya Aisha Buhari has agreed to marry Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami is an outright lie. There is absolutely no truth in it whatsoever,” Ahmad wrote.
Additional context emerged from a recently released biography titled From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Dr. Charles Omole and launched at the State House in December 2025. The book records Aisha Buhari as stating clearly that she has no intention of remarrying, citing family responsibilities and a desire for a quieter public life.
The former president died in London on July 13, 2025, at the age of 82. He married Aisha Buhari in 1989 and is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren. Speculation around her personal life increased online after she completed the traditional mourning period in November 2025.
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