By Omoniyi Salaudeen
A community leader and Asiwaju of Agboyiland in Ketu/Agboyi Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Prince Abubakar Seriki, has expressed his dissatisfaction over an Ikeja High Court ruling in a matter involving royal families in the community.
The tussle in Agboyi started in 2006 when the Ogunloye, Owoyele, and Ogugangan families instituted a case against the Ondoyi family over the selection of a new monarch for the community.
Prince Seriki expressed shock that the presiding judge, Justice Akintunde Savage, ruled over a matter despite the fact that the plaintiff’s counsel had withdrawn their prayers at the last hearing of the matter on July 12, 2021.
Seriki, who reacted shortly after the ruling was delivered, said that he was in the court when the plaintiff’s counsel from Bashual chambers withdrew three prayers out of the five prayers early presented when the defendant’s lawyers cited some irregularities in the prayers.
“To our surprise, the judge ruled over prayers that were voluntarily withdrawn. This action points to the fact that the judge is playing the script of some people. We want the National Judicial Council (NJC) to take note of Justice Akintunde Savage.’’
Also speaking shortly after the ruling, another chieftain of the community, Chief Jamiu Oludegun, said he was in court when the lawyer to the plaintiff “withdrew certain prayers before the judge but to everybody’s surprise, those same prayers were ruled on by the court.”