KEY POINTS
- Femi Falana filed a N200 million legal complaint against Oba Semiu Ogunjobi for his assault conduct.
- The legal claim asks for both monetary compensation and a public apology which the lawsuit files for publication in three major national newspapers.
- The Ogun State Government executed both suspension and judicial charging of the monarch due to assault allegations.
Femi Falana (SAN) submitted a N200 million lawsuit against Oba Semiu Ogunjobi who serves as the Olorile of Orile Ifo in Ogun State.
A lawsuit filed against Oba Semiu Ogunjobi by Falana (SAN) demands N200 million in damages for Elder Areola Abraham Love JP along with a printed public apology that should appear in three newspapers including The Punch and Vanguard and Nigerian Tribune.
Elder Areola files this Ogun State High Court lawsuit at Ota on March 7, 2025 to protect his fundamental rights like dignity and freedom of movement and right to life.
Falana files N200 million lawsuit following an assault posted globally on the internet
The court lawsuit centers around footage that displays elderly man Elder Areola Abraham Love JP kneeling at the side of the road as Oba Ogunjobi and his group members assault him. The video footage generated intense public disapproval while the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) took action to stop the incident.
The Ogun State Government suspended Oba Ogunjobi for six months and then sent him to Magistrate Court for assault charges.
Falana’s legal demands
Falana submitted in his initial application before the court that it should:
Atmospherical aggression inflicted upon Elder Areola created a life-threatening situation and infringed upon his right to live as stated in Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution together with Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The public corporal punishment of Elder Areola by slapping and punching turned into cruel and inhuman acts that damaged his personal dignity according to Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 4 of the African Charter.
Falana is seeking:
Staff members of Ogijo Community who violated Elder Areola’s fundamental rights must pay N200 million as compensation.
The court requires Oba Ogunjobi to write a published apology that must appear in The Punch and Vanguard as well as Nigerian Tribune.
Setting a legal precedent
This judicial matter will create legal boundaries which will strengthen human rights protection alongside traditional leadership visibility in Nigeria. The court expects this matter to demonstrate how legal principles should always apply without discrimination against social positions or official status.
