AWUJALE: IJEBU CHIEF SUES RULING HOUSE MEMBERS FOR N10BN

A Vice Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House in Ijebu-Ode, Prof Fassy Yusuf, has filed a ₦10bn defamation suit against 11 members of the ruling house over allegations linked to the selection process for the next Awujale of Ijebuland.

Yusuf, an Associate Professor of Media Law and Ethics at the University of Lagos, filed the suit before the Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode.

The legal action followed the publication of a purported report by the Fusengbuwa Fact-Finding Committee, which contained allegations of financial inducement, bribery, irregularities and alleged manipulation in the Awujale selection process.

Yusuf is challenging the allegations, describing them as false and defamatory. He is asking the court to compel the defendants to retract the statements and publish an unreserved apology in The PUNCH, Nigerian Tribune and other platforms where the report was circulated.

He is also seeking a perpetual injunction preventing the defendants and their agents from further publishing or circulating the statements concerning him.

In addition to the ₦10bn general damages, Yusuf is demanding aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as ₦5m in legal costs.

The claimant is also challenging the legality of the fact-finding committee, arguing that it was not properly constituted in accordance with the rules and established procedures of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.

He wants the court to declare the committee’s report invalid and to nullify any decisions, recommendations or actions taken on the basis of the report.

The dispute is connected to the ongoing process of selecting a successor to the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, who died in July 2025.

The controversy intensified after members of the ruling house removed three of its leaders, including Yusuf, following allegations of financial inducement and other irregularities in the selection process.

The development has added another legal dimension to the wider dispute over the selection of the next Awujale, with members of the ruling house also pursuing separate legal action concerning the succession process.

The allegations contained in the disputed report remain contested, and the court is expected to determine the issues raised by Yusuf’s suit.