The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has declared the Mabudeje Royal Family, led by Prince Babatunde Adenusi and others, as the rightful ruling house entitled to occupy the throne of Agbowa-Ikosi in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
This landmark decision overturned the earlier judgment of the Lagos State High Court, which had recognized Prince (Barrister) Owolabi Saheed Momson—listed as the 8th defendant—as the Abowa of Agbowa-Ikosi.
The appellate court held that the trial court had erred in law by failing to thoroughly evaluate the evidence presented during the case and had wrongly accepted the nomination of Prince Momson.
Delivering the lead judgment in the appeal marked CA/LAG/CV/1104/2023 on May 30, 2025, Justice Ngozika Okaisabor ruled that the claimants, representing the Mabudeje Royal Family, were members of the legitimate ruling house and therefore had the legal authority to nominate a candidate for the vacant royal stool.
A critical piece of evidence that swayed the decision of the appellate court was a document—Exhibit P9—which recorded the minutes of a 2007 meeting of the Oba-in-Council.
In that meeting, members of the Aduloju family, who had been involved in the nomination process, explicitly disassociated themselves from the Mabudeje lineage. Quoting directly from the minutes, the court noted: “The 6th Respondent in the said Exhibit P9 denied being a member of the Mabudeje family and further stated that there is no one in their family who bears such a name.”
Justice Okaisabor emphasized that this disavowal undermined the entire nomination process supported by the Aduloju family, which the lower court had relied upon in its ruling.
Since the Aduloju family had clearly stated they were not part of the Mabudeje Royal House, their involvement in nominating a candidate rendered the process fundamentally flawed.
Furthermore, the Court of Appeal found that no proper or lawful communication was ever made to the Mabudeje family, inviting them to submit a nominee for the vacant stool—an essential requirement in the selection of a traditional ruler under customary and statutory laws.
In evaluating the overall evidence presented by both parties, Justice Okaisabor concluded that the claimants’ submission was more consistent, coherent, and credible than that of the respondents.
As a result, the appellate court declared the Mabudeje Royal Family as the rightful ruling house entitled to produce the next Abowa of Agbowa-Ikosi. The judgment marks a significant victory for the family, reaffirming their historical claim to the throne and ensuring that due process is respected in the selection of traditional rulers in Lagos State.
