A clergyman, Venerable B.O. Okunnuga has urged the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) to disqualify a law professor, Gani Adeyemi Oke from being awarded the prestigious Senior Advocate of Nigeria rank alleging the latter’s “fraudulent” dealings and “trespass” in respect of a property in Yaba, Lagos.
Ven. Okunnuga, who is the executor of a will in which the said property is listed, tabled his grievance to the LPDC thus:
“My name is Venerable B.O. Okunnuga and I am a retired Clergyman.
I am an Executor of the Will of Late Mrs. Christiana Morgan, along with Mr. Theophilus Abayomi Odufolakun (deceased) and Ayo Oshinusi.
The Will was granted probate on the 2nd of February 1999. (The Will and the Grant of Probate are hereby attached as “BO1 and BO2”.
The properties at 366 and 368 Murtala Mohammed Way, Yaba, Lagos were bequeathed to the St. Peters Anglican Church, Ajele, Lagos by the Late Mrs. Morgan who herself lived at No. 366 while she was alive.
The Church had been collecting rent from 368 Murtala Mohammed while waiting for the Tenants in 366 to leave before taking full possession. Some of the Tenants at 366 were paying rents to the Church, notably Chief Debo Akande SAN who after reading the Will started paying rent to the Church. The proof of payment is attached as “BO3”.
However, sometime in 2019, the Church discovered that some unknown people came to the building with thugs, levelled the building and started building. The Church, being a religious organization went to Court through the Executors of the Will who still had technical and legal control of the building. The Writ and Statement of Claim is attached as “BO4”.
An Injunction was obtained to restrain any persons from building, selling, leasing, registering or alienating the property. The Court Order which was obtained on the 16 day of August 2019 was pasted on the property. (Find attached the Enrolment Order as “BO5”).
These unknown persons who we now know were working for Prof. Ganiu Adeyemi Oke instead of coming to Court to identify themselves, continued working there.
The Executors then took out Forms 48 and 49 in order to compel the persons to Court but still even after service of the processes by pasting at the property, they continued to build on the instructions of Prof. Oke who had now identified himself as a Professor of Law at the University of Lagos. The Forms are attached as “BO6 and BO7”.
Prof. Oke despite knowing about the Court Case and the substantive Injunction continued to build from scratch till he completed construction.
Some members reported him at the Lagos State Government Special Task Force on Land Grabbers, but instead of acceding to their request to stop, he filed a frivolous application to commit all the parties to prison. The Application is attached as “BOS”.
We subsequently discovered that Prof. Ganiu Adeyemi Oke in collusion with Prince Ogunade had knowingly and fraudulently obtained a Consent Judgement by filing Terms of Settlement purportedly executed by the Executors but in reality executed by fraudulently procured parties who forged the signatures of the Executors including a dead Executor. The Fraudulent Terms of Settlement and the illegally obtained Judgement are attached to this Petition as “BO9 and BO10”
The purported Terms of Settlement were that the Executors agree to let Prince Idowu Ogunade exercise right of ownership over 366 Muritala Mohammed Way. Yaba, Lagos contrary to the wishes of the Testatrix.
To enter the Terms, Prof. Oke conspiring with Prince Ogunade (whom he bought the land property from and whom his firm appeared for) brought the fake Executors to Court to appear in the matter and state that he is one of the Executors thereby succeeding in deceiving the Judge to enter the Terms of Settlement as Judgement.
They procured a lawyer, Daniel Idibia Esq. to appear for the fake Executors and a lawyer, Ogochukwu Nwachukwu from Prof. Oke’s Chambers, appeared for Prince Idowu Ogunade.
We later discovered this fraudulently obtained Judgement and filed a Motion to Set it Aside which is attached to this petition as “BO11”.
After the motion to set aside the judgement was filed, Hon. Justice O. A. Akinlade delivered a judgement on the 22 day of February 2023, setting aside the consent judgement which is attached to this petition as “BO12”. The Hon. Justice O. A. Akinlade also condemned the actions of all the lawyers who misled the court and that included Prof. Oke.
This in our estimation is a criminal act that is unbecoming of someone to be conferred with such a prestigious and privileged rank of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. I therefore believe that Prof. Ganiu Adeyemi Oke who is number 10 on the Shortlist for Academic Applicants is unworthy of being conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Yours faithfully,” Ven. B.O. Okunnuga concluded.
