A high court in Sagamu has issued an order preventing the Ogun state government from interfering with or tearing down the private residence of former governor Gbenga Daniel.
Presiding judge O.S. Oloyede issued the restraining order on Tuesday after reviewing an “ex parte application” submitted by the applicants’ counsel, A.M. Kotoye.
The application, which was filed on August 11, was submitted by Daniel and his wife, Olufunke.
The lawsuit names the governor of Ogun state, the attorney-general of Ogun, the Ogun State Planning & Development Permit Authority, and the Ogun state commissioner for physical planning and urban development as respondents.
The “ex parte application” stated: “AN EX PARTE ORDER of this Honourable Court restraining the Defendants/Respondents and their Agents, Allies, Proxies, Assigns, Cronies, Servants, etc and any other person(s), howsoever described, either claiming through them or acting on their behalf, in whatsoever manner, upon their authority/instructions, from demolishing or in any way or manner tampering with the property known as Asoludero Court, situate, lying and being at Block 1, Plots 7 and 8 and of Block XXXVIII, Plot 1 and 12, within the amended part of the Government Reservation Area, Sagamu, now known as Awolowo Avenue, Sagamu, measuring approximately, 1,659 hectares, more particularly plan No. SA. 160 (OG) attached to the old Certificate of Occupancy No 024698 dated the 21 April, 2005, later replaced by a new computerized Certificate of Occupancy No. LUD3/LR2693 and dated 20th January, 2010 and/or giving effect to the Defendants/Respondents’ Quit Notice dated 8th August, 2025, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice herein filed.”
After Kotoye presented the application, Judge Oloyede ordered the respondents and their agents not to tamper with or demolish the applicants’ property.
The judge has set the hearing for the application for an interlocutory injunction for August 19, 2025.
A separate “ex parte application” was filed by Conference Hotel Limited and Blue Chapel Limited against the same respondents over the demolition of their property in Ogun. The Conference hotel is owned by Daniel.
In a ruling on that application, Judge Oloyede also restrained the Ogun government and its agents from demolishing the hotel.
BACKGROUND
Recently, Steve Oliyide, a media aide to the former governor, raised concerns about the Ogun government’s alleged plans to demolish Daniel’s residence and hotel. Oliyide claimed that the demolition notices were a form of “political persecution” against Daniel by Governor Dapo Abiodun.
In response, the Ogun government stated that the claims of political persecution were false and were intended to cause unrest in the state.
Kayode Akinmade, the special adviser on information and strategy to Abiodun, said the demolitions were part of an ongoing “urban renewal and development audit” in the Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode government reservation areas (GRAs).
Daniel, who served as governor of the state from 2003 to 2011, is currently the senator representing Ogun East.