The legal contest over who owns Agbonbiti Village in Ile‑Ifẹ, Osun State, will continue on 28 October and 25 November after the state High Court in Ilesa Judicial Division adjourned the matter. The court, presided over by Justice Agboola, will hear arguments from both the family of the late Chief Samuel Adetunji Adewuyi and representatives of the community.
**What are the claimants alleging?**
Five brothers – Princes Adegbenga, Adediji, Adefemi, Adeposi and Adegboye Adewuyi – have filed suit (case No. HFT/5/2024) seeking a declaration that Agbonbiti Village belongs exclusively to their family. They rely on a survey map dated 15 April 1966, a composite survey plan prepared on 29 February 2024, and a Certificate of Grant issued on 23 June 1977. The claimants trace their right to an alleged grant by the late [Oba Adesoji Aderemi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adesoji_Aderemi), whom they say was a younger brother of their patriarch, and argue that their father was the first settler on the virgin forest that later became the village.
**How do the defendants counter?**
The defendants, representing the [Ile‑Ifẹ Traditional Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ife_Traditional_Council), argue that under Ile‑Ifẹ Customary Law land is vested in the community and managed by the council as trustees. They contend that any allocation must involve the council, and that the purported grant to the late [Chief Samuel Adetunji Adewuyi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Adewuyi) was a private transaction, not an official community allocation. Consequently, they seek a court order declaring Agbonbiti Village communal land belonging to the people of Ile‑Ifẹ.
**What did the court decide?**
Justice Agboola, hearing the case in the [High Court of Osun State](https://www.osunstate.gov.ng/high-court), adjourned further proceedings to the dates mentioned above. No final judgment on ownership has been rendered; the court will consider the documentary evidence and customary law arguments at the upcoming hearings.
The dispute highlights the tension between historic land grants, customary tenure systems, and modern legal processes in Nigeria’s southwestern region.