By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has adjourned till January 19, 2026, the hearing of a suit filed by members of the Onikoyi Royal Family challenging the appointment and installation of Prince Kunle Fafunwa as the Oba Onikoyi of Ikoyi and Moba Land.
Justice O. A. Oresanya, presiding over the matter, adjourned the case after it came up for mention on Thursday, 13 November, 2025, for further hearing and hearing of pending applications.
The Claimants were represented in court by P. O. Lasisi, SAN, and former Lagos Attorney-General, Adeniji Kazeem, SAN, while the 4th Defendant was represented by Wale Adesokan, SAN.
The family members and people from the communities in hired buses thronged the court in hundreds to solidarise with the Claimants.
The claimants in the suit are: Otunba Abdul Ganiyi Kolawole Onikoyi, Prince Akinola Oyeniyi Fafunwa, Prince Abdul Waliu Omogbolahan Sulaimon, Chief Hassan Kehinde Elegushi, Alhaji Musiliu Abidemi Onikoyi, Alhaja Wosilat Quadri, Mrs. Adeola Davies, Prince Babatunde Onikoyi, Prince Babatunde Shadeko, and Alhaji Ashraf Akinyemi Esinlokun.
They instituted the action for themselves and on behalf of the Onikoyi Royal Family, otherwise known as the Onikoyi Chieftaincy Family.
The defendants in the suit are: the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State; the Lagos State Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development; Eti-Osa Local Government; and Prince Kunle Fafunwa, the 4th defendant.
The Claimants are challenge the legality of the Monarch’s appointment.
In the suit filed by their counsel, Mr. Ademola Ekundayo of Hill City Associates, Ikeja, the claimants are seeking several declaratory and injunctive reliefs against the defendants, contending that the purported selection, approval, and installation of Prince Kunle Fafunwa as the Oba of Ikoyi and Moba Land was illegal, null, and void.
They argued that the process leading to Fafunwa’s appointment violated the provisions of the Onikoyi Chieftaincy Declaration of 2006 and the Obas and Chiefs Law of Lagos State, which regulate succession to the Onikoyi stool.
Specifically, the claimants are asking the court to set aside the purported selection, approval, and installation of the 4th defendant and to issue an injunction restraining him from parading himself or acting in any capacity as the Oba Onikoyi of Ikoyi and Moba Land.
They also seek an order directing the Lagos State Government and the relevant authorities to confirm and install the 3rd claimant, Prince Abdul Waliu Omogbolahan Sulaimon, as the legitimate Oba Onikoyi of Ikoyi and Moba Land.
Claimants Insist, “It is the Turn of Ojubiari Branch.”
According to the statement of claim, the Onikoyi Royal Family consists of one ruling house known as the Muti Ruling House, which has ten branches, namely: Fafunwa, Ojubiari, Kubayije, Ilumo, Idewu, Kugbamola, Aluko Ajose, Dosunmu Ajiwe, Adelo, and Dosunmu.
The family contends that under the 2006 Chieftaincy Declaration, the rotation of succession among these branches makes it the turn of the Ojubiari branch to produce the next Oba, following the demise of the late Oba Patrick Ibikunle Fafunwa, who hailed from the Fafunwa branch.
The claimants are alleging that the purported appointment of Prince Kunle Fafunwa, son of the late Oba Patrick Fafunwa, breaches the principle of rotation among the branches and offends established custom and tradition of the Onikoyi Royal Family.
They further averred that the family never nominated nor consented to the selection of the 4th defendant and that no valid family meeting or public notice was issued by the relevant authorities as required by law.
The claimants stated that after several letters and petitions to the state government and the Eti-Osa Local Government went unanswered, they instructed their counsel to institute legal action to prevent what they described as an “illegal imposition.”
They had earlier filed an ex parte application for judicial review in Suit No. LD/9134GCM/2025, seeking an order of mandamus compelling the state government to recognize and install Prince Sulaimon as the rightful Oba Onikoyi of Ikoyi and Moba Land.
Court Adjourns for Further Hearing.
At Thursday’s proceedings before Justice Oresanya, who subsequently adjourned the case to January 19, 2026, for further mention. The 4th Defendant notified the court of a Motion on Notice filed on behalf of the 4th Defendant, Prince Kunle Fafunwa. The motion mentioned by his lawyer, Wale Adesokan, SAN, was praying for setting aside service of the Writ of Summons on ground that the 4th Defendant was not personally served.
The dispute over the Onikoyi’s stool, which has generated intense interest among members of the Onikoyi Royal Family and the Lagos traditional institution, is expected to test the application of the 2006 Onikoyi Chieftaincy Declaration and the customary rotation system among the branches of the family.
