As
you go from Iyana Ipaja to Egbeda in Alimosho, Lagos State, Raji Oba Street is
to your left. It is one of the most popular streets in the area. It is the
street that hosts the imposing complex of Bishop David Oyedepo’s Winner Chapel.
There is a branch of Diamond Bank close to Moshalasi Bus Stop that leads to the
street. It is a street that you can’t miss. Ha! You know the street? I told you
it’s a street you can’t miss.
However
in the 1970s when this true-life story began, there was no Raji Oba Street.
There was no Winner Chapel building. There was no Diamond Bank. In fact, almost all of what is now one of the most densely populated areas in Lagos State was a
forest. Except for some rural settlements scattered here and there, the entire
Alimosho was a village.
So
who was Raji Oba? Why was the street named after him? Is there a story behind
the naming of the street after him? What happened that fateful night in 1975? You know you cannot make eba without garri? To tell you the story of Raji Oba, I must tell you the story of Ejigbadero.
Raji
Oba's story is Ejigbadero's story. Ejigbade's story is Raji Oba's story. It was a story
that shook the entire Lagos State to its foundation. My uncle who was then a
young surveyor told me that for years,
some people were scared of going to the area once it was nightfall. Today,
Onigegewura brings you the story of Kiniun Baba Moradewun! Lion of Mushin! Jimoh Ishola Adeyemi! Ejigbadero! Gbadero! The Chairman!
Jimoh
Ishola was arguably one of the famous people in Lagos of 1960s and 1970s. He
was rich. He was streetwise. He was known. He was connected. He was the darling of
musicians of the day. One of the surest ways to launch a musical career then
was to sing about Ejigbadero. Yusuf Olatunji (Baba Legba) devoted substantial
part of his Volume 19 to sing his praises. Baba Commander, Ebenezer Obey and
his Inter Reformers Band, celebrated him in his 1974 album.
If Nigeria was not under military rule in
1970s, Jimoh Ishola could have contested and won an elective political
position. He was that famous.
Though
Ejigbadero was not born in Lagos, he became the unofficial Lord Mayor of Lagos
metropolis. Jimoh hailed from Oja-Oba Quarters in Ibadan, Oyo State. He came
with his uncle to Lagos as a young man to learn a vocation. On his arrival
Lagos, he quickly graduated from an apprentice to a company owner.
When
he incorporated his company, Jimsol Nigeria Limited, he was not satisfied with just being called the Managing Director. Everybody in Lagos was MD. Gbadero must be different. He styled himself the Chairman and Chief Executive
of the nail manufacturing company. His office and factory were at Matori in Mushin Lagos. Yusuf
Olatunji was the musician invited to the company’s opening. With his sákárà and móló vibrating in the background, Baba Legba praised Gbadero to the
high heavens. Overnight, Olatunji’s
throaty “Gbadero Ishola di Chairman! Omo
Adeyemi!” became the national anthem. Ejigbadero was the Chairman.
Nail
manufacturing was however not Ishola’s only vocation. Over the years, Kiniun Baba Moradewun had acquired reputation as a dealer in landed properties. He bought
land. He sold houses. If you needed someone to protect your landed
interests, Ejigbadero was your man. If someone forcefully took over your land,
Abibatu’s husband was your best bet. If your own interest was to take over
someone’s land, Baba Gani was the person you needed to see.
Ejigbadero
was known to the police. He was familiar to the judges as a perennial litigant.
And one curious thing about his court appearances is that he was never a plaintiff.
He was always the defendant. He was popular with lawyers. At a point, he was
reputed to know the criminal code more than some lawyers. He used to ‘advise’
his lawyer to cite section 45 subsection 3 instead of section 33 subsection 1
that the lawyer wanted to cite. He had
done enough cases to make him a Senior Advocate if he was called to the Bar.
In
1975, Ejigbadero went with his boys to clear his land in Alimosho Village. The
land was full of cocoa and kolanut trees. Remember I told you that Alimosho was
a village in 1970s. The land we are talking about is not one plot
or two plots. It was a vast area of land. When the villagers saw their economic
trees going down, they challenged Jimoh Ishola and his boys. The Lord Mayor
informed the villagers that he had purchased the land in 1970s. Purchased?
Which Land? From whom? For how much? Who witnessed the transaction? Who
collected the money? These and more were the questions the villagers were
throwing at Ejigbadero who was calmly leaning on his walking stick.
The
villagers refused to allow Eji and his boys to continue to work on the land. The
Boys looked at their Boss. They were waiting for the signal. The walking stick
was the signal. This was not the first time they would be challenged over
a parcel of land and they knew it wouldn’t be the last. They knew that once
Ejigbadero stepped on any land, the land must become his. Eji was like a snail. Ìgbín tenu mo igi o gun! Any tree a
snail touches must be climbed. Eji smiled at the crowd. It was not a friendly smile. The Boys looked
expectant. Instead of Eji to raise the walking stick, he turned back. The Boys
followed him, their disappointment was apparent.
The
villagers shouted after the retreating figures. “We don win! We don win. You
think you can just take our land like that. Never! Never!” Some of them were
however not shouting. They knew that the retreat of Ejigbadero was not a
surrender. They knew that he would be back. The Chairman was not the one to run
away from a fight. The Boss was a vulture, a patient bird.
They
remember what happened to Okuwobi in 1962. Ejigbadero had informed his boys
that he was looking for a buyer for one of his properties. He promised them
generous commission. The boys went to town. Okuwobi indicated interest in the
building. It was a building under construction. Okuwobi paid part of the agreed
purchase price. It was agreed that the balance would be paid upon completion.
Okuwobi
collected receipt and began to dream of becoming a landlord in Lagos. He was considering
whether to paint the house blue or grey. Or green, or cream. He finally decided on white. He had heard that the official residence of the American president was White House. It was then that
a friend told him that the house, his house, had been sold to someone else.
Okuwobi didn’t know whether he walked or flew to Mushin. He shouted. He threatened.
Ejigbadero was unmoved. Okuwobi reported to the police. He was advised to go to
court. He spent more than 10 years in court.
The
villagers knew that they must act fast if they didn’t want to spend 10 years in
court. At the time, the nearest police post was at Agege. They went to Agege Police Station to make a report of malicious damages
to property against Ejigbadero. As they were writing their statements, the
Chairman himself appeared with his boys. He had come to lodge a report of
trespass against the villagers who entered his property without his permission.
The police officers were confused. They attempted to broker a peaceful
settlement. No way. Ejigbadero wanted his land. The villagers wanted their
land. Who then was the owner of the land?
Police
assured the warring parties that the case would be investigated. They were
asked to go and maintain peace.
Raji
Oba was one of the villagers. He was as brave as he was vocal. He was not
afraid of Ejigbadero and he told him to his face. Even when Ejigbadero
threatened to kill him, the threat was met with a sneer. “Igbá ni won n pa, enikan kii pa àwo” was his retort. He was
confident that only calabash could be smashed with foot, no one would dare drop
a plate.
Police
investigation or no police investigation, Ejigbadero was not the one to keep
away from the land. Raji Oba had finished work on the farm for the day. He was
almost at home when he was informed that the Chairman was around with his thugs
who he usually described as his workers. Raji turned back. Ma fi oko mi se ona, ojo kan ni a n dekun re. Raji was determined
that he was going to stop the land grabber that day. He was followed by some of
the villagers who had also heard the news.
They
met Ejigbadero on the land. His boys were cutting cocoa trees with ruthless
determination. Kolanut trees were not being spared either. Raji Oba flared up.
A big fight erupted. Ejigbadero stood like a rock. He was commanding his boys to
give it to the villagers like an army general. In the free-for-all that
followed, Ejigbadero saw his chance as Raji Oba moved close to him. In a moment
he had stabbed him. Raji didn’t see the dagger, but he felt the blood flowing
from his eyebrow. It was clear that Jimoh Ishola was aiming for his eye. “Mo ku o!” The villagers heard the agony
in the voice of their leader and rushed to his aid.
They
took him to the hospital and from there to the police station. They made a
report of criminal assault and attempted murder against Ishola. Police promised
diligent investigation. But it appeared to the villagers that the police at Agege belonged to the Lion of Mushin.
Back
at his base in Mushin, Ejigbadero was not happy. He had expected the villagers to
put up the usual feeble resistance. He had planned how to subdue them. After all, ‘ibeji kii se akopa aje’. Killing twins is not a new thing to a witch. But
he had not expected the stiff opposition he met in Alimosho. He knew the cause
of the problem. It was Raji Oba. What type of Oba was he that he would stop
Ejigbadero, Kiniun Baba Moradewun?
“Baba
Fatai, your food is ready.” Ejigbadero looked up. It was his youngest wife,
Ramota. Though he was not particularly hungry, he didn’t want to displease
the pregnant woman. He told her to bring the food. At the sight of the expectant
mother, an idea started to form in his mind. He smiled. Ramota thought her
husband was enjoying the meal. She was pleased.
It
was in the month of August 1975 that Lagos social circle heard the news it had
been waiting. Ramota, Ejigbadero’s wife had put to bed. Socialites knew what
to expect. It was going to be a grand occasion. It was going to be an
assemblage of Lagos who’s who. It was going to be the party of the century. And
it was a Friday! TGIF!
True
to expectation, Ejigbadero didn’t spare any expenses for the naming ceremony. Food was in excess. Wines replaced water.
Musicians were competing with themselves on the bandstand. The blind requested
to be led to the occasion. The lame crawled. Ejigbadero and his four wives
were dressed in a manner befitting a king and his Oloris. They were a spectacle
to behold.
Sabitu
Oba was Raji Oba’s wife. She was coming back from the market when she saw
Ejigbadero and his boys. A woman was in
their midst. She was shocked to see the Chairman. They had heard in the village
that his wife had delivered a baby and that the day was the naming ceremony.
She was wondering what type of man would leave his baby’s naming ceremony to
come to the village. Well, that’s his business, she thought.
Sabitu
quickened her pace. She needed to warn her husband of the presence of the
chairman in the village. It was already dusk but the moon had appeared. It
wouldn’t be nice for Raji to be roaming the village at such a time when
Ejigbadero was around. She met her husband reclining in front of their house.
She heaved a sigh of relief.
She
informed her husband that Ejigbadero was in the village. Raji Oba was also
surprised. He had heard that Ejigbadero was holding a lavish party that day in
Mushin. So what was he doing in the village? And why did he choose to come to
the village at dusk. “I hope he has not come to bury charms on the land!” His wife suggested.
She
had hardly finished speaking when she heard an explosion. GBOAH! Raji Oba
fell from his seat with a thud! Sabitu jumped in alarm! Raji had been shot in
the head. The wounded man began to groan in pain. Blood was oozing from the
wound.
Sabitu
turned to the direction where the sound of the explosion had come from. Smoke
from gunpowder was drifting up to the clear moonlight sky. She saw seven people
running away towards a nearby bush. She distinctly recognized Ejigbadero. He
was wearing a short sleeve shirt and trousers. He was holding a gun. He was at
the rear of the fleeing people. Her temporary shock over, Sabitu shouted at the
retreating figures: “Ejigbadero mo ri e
o! Ara Abule! Ejigbadero ti pa mi loko o!”
Back
in Mushin, the naming party was in full swing! Ejigbadero was moving from table
to table, exchanging banters with his friends and well-wishers. Remember I told
you that Ejigbadero was well connected in the society. His guests that night
included magistrates, lawyers, police officers and leading journalists of the
day. Camera bulbs were flashing as Ejigbadero posed for photographs with his
guests. It was a party that Mushin would remember for a long time.
Police
officers in Agege were already familiar with Alimosho villagers. There was
hardly a week that they would not come to the station to report one incident or
another. On the evening of August 22, 1975, the police officers on duty heard
the crowd from a distance. Alimosho people have come again! What has happened
again? The officers wondered.
“Ejigbadero ti pa Raji o!”
The
officers knew that Yoruba language was full of hyperbolic expressions. A mere
tap on the cheek could lead to a shout of ‘Mo
ku o! O ti pa mi o!” They were however shocked when they realized that Raji
had actually been killed. This was not a case of Mo gbe! Mo ku! Mo daran! The villagers were unanimous that it was
Ejigbadero that killed Raji.
Ejigbadero
was in company of late party guests in his house when the police came. He
was informed that his attention was needed at their station. He was wanted in
connection with the murder of Raji Oba. Ejigbadero’s visitors did not allow him
to speak before they jumped to his defence! “When? Where? Ejigbadero who did
not step out of this Mushin throughout
yesterday!”
The Lion of Mushin was confident of himself. His defence was as solid as a rock. His alibi was
incontrovertible. He had judges, lawyers, police officers and journalists as
his witnesses. What more could he want? He retained Chief Sobo Sowemimo, a
highly experienced advocate, as his counsel. His case was good. He knew. On the
other side was the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Omotunde
Ilori.
As
the prosecution began its case, Ejigbadero was becoming rather impatient. He
knew the trial was going to be a waste of his time. Mr. Ilori called Sabitu Oba
to the witness box. She narrated the event of the day. Ishola was smiling
throughout her testimony. Who would believe the testimony of a village woman?
Mr.
Ilori then called Nimota Kelani, Sabitu’s neighbour. Nimota’s evidence was
straightforward. She informed the court that on hearing the alarm raised by
Sabitu to the effect that Ejigbadero had killed Raji Oba, she dashed out of her
house. She also saw Ejigbadero running away towards the bush. She saw him
clearly in the moonlight. She also called on the accused telling him that she
saw him and reminded him that he had kept his promise to kill Raji.
Rafiu
Latifu was another witness called by the learned DPP. Latifu testified that on
the evening of August 22, he was returning to the village when he saw a white
Peugot 504 station wagon parked by the side of a mosque a distance of two
minutes to the house of Raji Oba. He also saw Ejigbadero and six other persons,
one of whom was a woman, run out of a nearby bush towards the parked car.
On
arrival at the premises of Raji Oba he met people who told him that Ejigbadero
had killed the deceased, who was still lying on the ground and bleeding from
the head. Latifu then told the people that he had seen Ejigbadero and six other
persons running out of the bush but did not know at the time that he had
already killed Raji.
It
was at this point that Ejigbadero began to doubt his defence. Awodi oke ko mo pe ara ile n wo ohun. Like
the hawk he had assumed that he was invisible to the people below. If he had
known how diligent the DPP, Mr. Omotunde Ilori was, perhaps he would not have
been too confident with his alibi. Ha! You don’t know ‘alibi’? It’s a Latin
word. It means ‘elsewhere’. It is a
piece of evidence that one was elsewhere when an act, typically a criminal one,
is alleged to have taken place. I hope you are following me.
There
was a policeman who was riding a bike that night who also recognized him.
Remember I told you that Ejigbadero was as popular as Iya Agba’s aso onisuga. Aso onisuga was very common
in the 60s and 70s. The design on it was in the shape of a cube. Just like a cube of sugar, hence the name.
Ilori found the police officer. Ilori also found two women who saw Ejigbadero
when they were coming from the farm with firewood on their head. Immediately
they saw him, they ran into the bush.
Ejigbadero’s
defence was straightforward. He was in Mushin on August 22. He didn’t step out
of his house. He had witnesses who were eminent people in the society. He called Bashiru Ajape, a police officer; Jacob Oyelakin, a Manager with Leventis Motors; and Emmanuel George, a lawyer. They all testified that they were with Baba Gani at his baby's naming ceremony that day. The court considered the evidence of these eminent personalities and found each of them to be 'miserably untruthful in the evidence they gave'.
Tried
as much as he could, Gbadero could not disprove the testimonies of the prosecution
witnesses. The best cross-examination failed to crack the witnesses. They were
all adamant. It was Ejigbadero that they saw that night. It was Ejigbadero that
killed Raji Oba.
The
trial judge took his time to review the case for the prosecution as well as the
case for the defence. A life was at stake and mistake must not be made. The judge found the evidence of a security guard in the employment of Ejigbadero helpful. Kehinde Yekinni was the security guard employed to guard Ishola's factory. He testified that Ejigbadero came to the factory in the evening and later left for Alimosho with Modina, Osadebey, Isiaka, Bakare, Wahab Oduntan, and Lukman. The group later returned to meet him at the factory around 9pm. On their return, Ejigbadero drew out a gun from underneath his trousers and told Kehinde that he (Ishola) had killed the man that Kehinde refused to kill.
In the
end, the judge found that Mr. Ilori had proved the case for prosecution beyond
reasonable doubt. Jimoh Ishola was found guilty on the two counts: conspiracy
to murder and murder.
He was sentenced to death. As the trial judge, My Lord Justice Ishola Oluwa, pronounced the sentence of death on him, Ejigbadero turned to his counsel and
in his Ibadan accent asked, turning his nose to indicate His Lordship: “Emi ni n wi?” What was the Judge saying?
Jimoh
Ishola appealed the judgment to the then Federal Court of Appeal. My Lords: Mamman Nasir, Adetunji Ogunkeye and Ijoma Aseme considered his appeal. His appeal in respect of Count One (conspiracy to
murder) was allowed, meaning he was not guilty of that charge. His appeal in
respect of the second count failed and the appellate court affirmed his conviction.
This
time around, Ejigbadero did not bother to ask his counsel what their Lordships
were saying. He had spent enough time in court to know the meaning of ‘Appeal is
hereby dismissed.’
Off
to the Supreme Court. His case was the 7th case filed in the Supreme
Court in 1977. On Thursday, October 26, 1978, a panel of the Supreme Court comprising My Lords: Alexander, Fatai-Williams, Irikefe, Bello and Idigbe affirmed his
conviction and dismissed his appeal.
In
1979, four years after the gruesome murder of Raji Oba, Jimoh Ishola, alias
Ejigbadero, alias the Chairman, alias Kininun Baba Moradewun paid the supreme price.
What a price to pay for
a piece of land!
I
thank you for your time.
Onigegewura©
The right of Onigegewura to be identified as the author of stories published on this blog has been asserted by him in accordance with the copyright laws.
bi o ba laya o se ika, bi o ba ranti iku Gaa ko sotito. ojo gbogbo n tole ojo kan ni tolooun.
ReplyDeleteWhat am interesting piece. This was s time when Prosecutors were diligent and were committed to their calling. Unlike now that majority of them are corrupt. They compromise their cases easily for peanuts. The guilty walk away freely while the spirit of the victim or deceased cry from the heaven for vengeance.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Taofik.
DeleteMy learned friend, it is always a pleasure reading through your write ups but this one was spectacular! Like Taofik Lawal, Esq. stated in his comment above, most DPP's we have nowadays are not as dedicated as the likes of DPP Ilori. 'Énu ti je dodo, ko le so dodo mo'. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteThis is one of the most inspiring, educative, and prolific writing from the blog spot it was even a real didactic dedication to a man called Raji Oba who died for what he believed in.. It was a real insight into what has been in existence before the courts are polarised it taught us that money is not everything no matter your fame or connections one should tread softly.
ReplyDeleteDe Prince, thank you.
DeletePlease sir, can I have your contact or e-mail. my is oriyomijimoh4@gmail.com. 08033390977
ReplyDeleteonigegewurablog@gmail.com
DeleteWow! I read this with relish. Thank you for taking me back the memory lane. You also supplied details that I never knew. I was an undergraduate when Ejigbadero paid the supreme sacrifice. It was justice well served. I trust the Lord to bring back justice to our courts as it once reigned.
ReplyDeleteI remember some of us changed Ebenezer Obey's eulogy of him to:
O ti ye as (patapata) o ti ye as
O ti ye wa bi Gbadero se nlogba l'Eko.
Asiri eko ti tu loju ewe.
Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI will like to be updated on your next write up.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. Please click on the 'FOLLOW' on the top right hand side of the page. You will be informed of new posts immediately. Please help us to keep our History alive by informing others of this blog.
DeleteFascinating, Enlightening! Definitely informing others of this blog. Great work Sir.
ReplyDeleteWaow! Just waow! Thank you so much for absolutely articulate piece. Well done, sir.
ReplyDeleteInteresting read Legal, lucid and literary. Captivating. You've got a new follower
ReplyDeleteThank you, Prof.
DeleteInteresting read Legal, lucid and literary. Captivating. You've got a new follower
ReplyDeleteI was actually expecting a twist in the tale where the judges at some level in the appeal would be compromised by the defendant and the case would be scuttled as is the norm these days but it wasn't to be, he got what he deserved.
ReplyDeleteIf only those days of diligence and incorruptibility could return to our judiciary, if only wishes were horses.....,hmmm, it shall be well with my dear country again, soon and very soon.
Thank you. It is our hope that by retelling these stories, our generation can rediscover our values. Nigeria will be great again!
DeleteAm always a busy person, who sometimes would not read posts to the end but this is different. It is superlatively educative and full of wisdom. May the Almighty God bring sanity back to our judicial system. In Nigeria of today, renowned criminals and chief law breakers are the ones finding their way to the legislative arm of government as law makers while judges bribe their ways to their various positions. Sad enough, the oppressed masses celebrate the morally bankrupt.
ReplyDeleteAmen! Thank you.
DeleteIt's like I'm watching Crime Investigation Channel on cable tv
ReplyDeleteWell done sir, may the wealth of your knowledge never run dry. Amen I like the touch of humour you always add to your write ups. Will like to follow you to be updated but I can't find the button sir.
ReplyDeleteArinola, many thanks. Life shouldn't be too serious. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will see View Web Version. A click on it takes to you a desktop version of the page. You will see FOLLOW BUTTON on the right side. Cheers.
DeleteThis was Nigeria I knew and grow up under where justice was affirmed and delivered without corruption, May God bring back the same Judiciary that stood for Justice
ReplyDeleteThis was Nigeria I knew and grow up under where justice was affirmed and delivered without corruption, May God bring back the same Judiciary that stood for Justice
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePlease follow Onigegewura on Facebook:
ReplyDeletehttps://m.facebook.com/Onigegewurablog/
I must see you
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting piece. There are still many of ejigbadero,a lot of kiniuns in Mushin. The politicians are romancing them,they too are romancing the politicians. I wish someone would write their story someday
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting story. Thank you for taking us back to the memory lane.
ReplyDeletePls I would like to know much more about the story of Fatai irawo, ologundudu, Ajala- the one who traveled all over the world in those days and like likes... God bless sir!
We will certainly document their stories. Thank you.
DeleteOnigege you are too much. Pls kindly do a story for us on what happened at Tonkere during the campaigns in 1982/83 between Chief Bola Ige and his team and Oloye Adelakun. Baba Olatunbosun who replaced the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs had died in mysterious circumstances. Chief Obisesan was seriously injured in that campaign. Please refresh our memory. You are a master genius.
ReplyDeleteOnigege you are too much. Pls kindly do a story for us on what happened at Tonkere during the campaigns in 1982/83 between Chief Bola Ige and his team and Oloye Adelakun. Baba Olatunbosun who replaced the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs had died in mysterious circumstances. Chief Obisesan was seriously injured in that campaign. Please refresh our memory. You are a master genius.
ReplyDeleteDr. Olagunju, thanks very much for the kind compliments. The Tonkere incident will definitely form part of the story of Eruobodo. Many thanks for the hints.
DeleteCaptivating writing, vintage history being recaptured and stored. Onigegewura is fast carving a veritable niche for historical perspectives in our consciousness. Like the James Hadley Chase novels of those days, Onigegewura's writing is " unputdownable" till the end. Compelling, racy, and suspence filled . Part of the takehome from this writing is the serving of justice to the oppressed. In today's Nigeria, Ejigbadero would have bought all the "buyables" within the judicial system. The various prosecution witnesses would have been hounded out or conveniently disposed off. Recall the high profile murders of Bola Ige, Alfred Rewane etc.More of this will teach our today's generation some of the history that our warped educational system has obliterated from our school curriculum. More of these "treasures".You have a follower. "Onigegewura " indeed.
ReplyDelete@Ola Taiwo, I am happy that you are enjoying the stories featured on the Onigegewura Blog. Many thanks.
DeleteThis is an interesting write. Just to an addendum.
ReplyDelete1. Ejigbadero was not the sole owner of the nails manufacturing factory referred to. It was jointly owned with Fatai Areago, another socialite of the Awori clan in Isolo. Hence it was called Jimfat Nails and not Jimsol.
2. Late Chief Richard Akinyemi alias "Obe" represented Eji at the courts through to the Supreme Court.
- There were also other various political considerations too that requires Eji to be dealt with then. And the killing of Raji Oba was a given opportunity.
-And that with his ongoing land disputes with Sir Amoje of Oke Afa Farms. Sir Amoje was a very powerful industrialist back then. And Eji was becoming a nuisance to his, Amoje's ambition of annexing majority of lands in Isolo for further development of his farm holdings.
Thanks for sharing this.
The decision is reported in law reports and there is no mention of Chief Richard Akinyemi as his lawyer. Chief Sobo Sowemimo was his lead counsel up to the Supreme Court.
Delete@Yemi Agbayewa, many thanks for the addendum. I am learning more about all the subjects I write about everyday. This is one of the objectives of the Blog. It is to create a platform for learning and for documenting our history for posterity. Thank you, Sir. As Jokpa Utake pointed out, the name of counsel on record is Chief Sobo Sowemimo. Perhaps Baba Honourable Akinyemi Obe appeared for him at a time. I will cross the record of proceedings and effect necessary correction, if need be. Thank you, Sir. I will contact you offline for further research, if you will oblige me. Most grateful, Sir.
DeleteI could have been elected a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Alimosho 2, covering this place you wrote about in 1999 on the platform of A.D. Yet I only learnt about the chequered past of that place through this historical excursion! One more time, thanks.
ReplyDeleteHon. Maxwell, I should be the one to thank you, Sir.
DeleteWow!!!! it been a while i dedicated this much time to read an article like this,if our so called DDP's of nowadays could be like this i think Nigeria would be settled
ReplyDeleteGlad i found this blog sharing with the community in Orlando Florida.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely got a new follower.
ReplyDeleteYemi Agbayewa's addendum with regard to Ejigbadero's land dispute with an industrialist was not with Sir Amoje of Amo Group of Companies but with Chief Asamu of Oke Afa Farms.
ReplyDeleteOlanrewaju Onigegewura needs to screen contributions carefully before integrating them into his write-up, so that it will not be a case of "aaya ntoju omo re se, oju di jijin" - instead of the monkey repairing the baby's eyes as intended, it messed them up.
Great story, awesome writing style. I especially like the way you for instance described how Okuwobi was already imagining the colour of the building he bought (although I assume you took some artistic license with that level of detail).
ReplyDeleteSomeone sent one of your stories to me. The one on ST Oredein. That prompted me to check out your blog. Now I am hooked. The stories are down to earth, incisive and well narrated.
ReplyDeleteWow! I appreciate this unique concept, only I wish you would interpret your Yoruba lines so those of us who are non Yoruba can understand
ReplyDeleteI am familiar with this story ... you stated it very accurately.
ReplyDeleteBros i need to salute you immensely for this venture, now here is another one of my burial sites. I grew up in agege and this resonates loudly with me. Pls can you do a history of the Adekos opposite Raji Oba, they are one of those families that have been in Alimosho for long, then along ipaja road towards Agege, there is a bus stop called Agbotikuyo, i have always been curious about the story behind that name
ReplyDeleteMy God! I thought I was reading a novel of some sort. Your account was so well detailed also your narrative Plus healthy dose of humor was captivating.....it would actually make one assume if ever you were present when everything took place lol. Overall man, you're one helluva writer. Awesome post!
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful Piece, I love the ending.. Ejigbadero, alias the Chairman, alias Kininun Baba Moradewun paid the supreme price.
ReplyDeleteWhat a price to pay for a piece of land! indeed what a price
Thank you
ReplyDeleteInteresting piece, I work presently in this same raji_Oba, thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteInteresting piece, I work presently in this same raji_Oba, thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteI love your style of writing. A touch of humour. Makes it very interesting. Have learnt a lot from ur blog. Needless to say u have a new follower. Well done sir!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic piece. I knew the man as a terrible man who never had any feelings for anybody even little children. I was young then and lived close to his house at Papa Ajao. He was a terrible man feared by both young and old.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Ojo gbogbo ni t'ole, ojo kan ni t'olohun. Sikasika ko ma ranti ojo kan idajo. Thanks for this story. I love to read more of your write ups.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this story... Our youths need to learn from this. So educative!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this reminiscences. We were young then and even in Ibadan where we lived the story of Ejigbadero resonated though not as detailed as this excellent blog.
ReplyDeleteTo the present we can't but ask "O justice where is thy sword?"