Court orders status quo over Onisemo stool dispute

By Henry Ojelu

A Lagos State High Court has ordered all parties to maintain the status quo in the simmering dispute over the proposed installation of a new Onisemo of Lagos, pending further hearing of a suit challenging the selection process.

The order followed an ex parte application filed by members of the Onisemo Chieftaincy Family, who are opposing moves to install Mr. Lookman Oluwa, also known as Lookman Noah Fagbayi, as the traditional ruler.

The claimants in the suit are Princess Olabiyi Kosoko and Mrs. Hawawu Teluwo, suing for themselves and on behalf of the Onisemo Chieftaincy Family of Lagos, alongside Mr. Olusegun Gbolade.

Those listed as defendants include the Governor of Lagos State; Attorney-General of the state; Oba Rilwan Akiolu I, the Oba of Lagos; Chairman of Lagos Island Local Government; Secretary of the Chieftaincy Committee, Lagos Island Local Government; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Mr. Sodiq Abosupala; and Mr. Lookman Bolaji Oluwa.

At the hearing, counsel to the claimants, Otunba Martins Ogunleye, informed the court that the originating processes had been served on the first to sixth defendants, but service was yet to be effected on the seventh and eighth defendants.

He thereafter moved a motion ex parte dated September 23, 2025, supported by a 22-paragraph affidavit, eight exhibits and a written address, urging the court to grant interim reliefs to prevent the installation of the eighth defendant pending the determination of the substantive suit.

No legal representation appeared for any of the defendants during the proceedings.

In a brief ruling, Justice N. O. Ojuromi held that interim injunctions are preservatory in nature and are intended to maintain the res until a motion on notice is heard and determined.

The judge consequently ordered all parties to maintain the status quo and adjourned the matter to January 9, 2026, for report of service on the seventh and eighth defendants. The court also indicated its readiness to accord the matter an expedited hearing once service is completed.

In an affidavit in support of the application, deposed to by the first claimant, Princess Kosoko, she stated that she is the Secretary of the Oshokeji Ruling House of the Onisemo Chieftaincy Family of Lagos.

She explained that the suit was instituted to challenge what she described as the “purported selection” of the eighth defendant as Onisemo of Lagos, insisting that he is not a member of the Onisemo chieftaincy family and does not belong to the Oshokeji Ruling House.

According to her, the Oshokeji Ruling House is the only ruling house entitled to present a candidate for the stool at this time, following the death of the last Onisemo, Chief Lekan Adamson, in 2019.

Princess Kosoko further averred that the third claimant was duly selected by the Oshokeji Ruling House as the Onisemo-elect, a fact she said is supported by documentary evidence attached to the affidavit.

She alleged that in May 2025, the eighth defendant allegedly invaded the Onisemo Palace at 127/129 Enu-Owa Street, Lagos, and laid claim to the stool, prompting the family to petition relevant authorities, including the governor and other defendants, to disown his claims.

She lamented that despite the petitions, no decisive action was taken, adding that a separate suit seeking pre-emptive injunctive reliefs had earlier been filed by family members.

The deponent expressed surprise at a letter purportedly issued by the third defendant, conveying approval and gazetting of the eighth defendant’s selection, allegedly signed on July 31, 2025, but backdated to April 2025, despite the pendency of court proceedings.

She warned that the actions complained of could trigger unrest within the family and the community, stressing that the Onisemo stool is a revered traditional institution whose desecration cannot be adequately compensated with monetary damages.

Princess Kosoko maintained that the eighth defendant would suffer no prejudice if restrained, as he had not been formally installed, and undertook to indemnify the defendants should the injunction later be found to have been wrongly granted.

The case continues on January 9, 2026.

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