Court Orders Amicable Resolution Of Property Dispute Between Siblings
By: Olusola Adewale
A magistrate court sitting in Ibadan the Oyo state capital has ordered amicable settlement over family property dispute between two brothers, Doctor Femi Majekodunmi the Bada of Egbaland and a Don Professor Olaribigbe Majekodunmi.
Delivering her ruling, the magistrate said the two parties should maintain status quo over the contending two story building at Omitowoju area of Ibadan pending the determination of a substantial suit at a high court in Ibadan.
Doctor Femi Majekodunmi who laid claim to the property had approached the court to resist his brother from parading himself as the custodian of the said property.
The imbroglio happened when Doctor Majekodunmi decided to carry out the renovation of the building without the knowledge of his brother who is currently occupying the building.
According to an eye witness, Doctor Majekodunmi in the company of some people went to the building to dump a heap of sand and set of blocks to barricade the main entrance of the building in the absence of his brother denying him of entry
This infuriated Professor Majekodunmi, though reported the case to law enforcement agency, went ahead to transfer the dumped materials to the frontage of a building owned by Doctor Majekodunmi situated beside the contending structure.
While being crossed examine, professor Majekodunmi said he was living in the contending building as against the submission of the IPO from Mokola Police Station that nobody lived in house.
Professor Majekodunmi objected to the claim by his elder brother’s claim that the property belong to him, insisted that it was a family property.
According to him the referred property was a structure built by his brother on their late father’s portion of land within the same compound housing the entire family.
He revealed that their father gave Doctor Majekodunmi the consent to erect the structure on the portion of the land on condition that the building would remain part of the family property and not the sole inheritance of any individual.
Professor Majekodunmi said it was after the demise of their father in 1983 that Doctor Majekodunmi changed the tide claiming the sole ownership of the building.
He maintained that his staying in the house was not without the the backing of the larger family who had given him the consenting authority as the custodian of the building.
