By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
An Ogun State High Court sitting in Abeokuta has awarded ₦500 million in damages against Oba Adetoye Alatishe, the Gbengande of Ososa in Odogbolu Local Government Area, for libel against prominent industrialist and philanthropist, Dr. Sulaiman Adegunwa.
Presiding judge, Justice E.O. Osinuga, also ordered the monarch to publish an apology and a retraction in three national newspapers—Punch, ThisDay, and The Nation—for a malicious petition and its publication in City People Magazine on January 15, 2019, and Obanta Newsday on August 7, 2019.
Delivering judgment on Friday, April 11, 2025, Justice Osinuga ruled that the content of the petition and its subsequent publications were defamatory and had caused serious harm to the claimant’s well-earned reputation.
In addition to the ₦500 million in damages, the court also awarded ₦500,000 in litigation costs and granted a perpetual injunction restraining Oba Alatishe from further defaming Dr. Adegunwa, who holds the national honor of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) and the title of Asiwaju of Ijebuland.
The libel suit, with case number 4CJ/205/19, was filed on November 25, 2019, following a letter allegedly written by the monarch to then-Governor Ibikunle Amosun on January 7, 2019. In the letter, Oba Alatishe accused Dr. Adegunwa of threatening to demolish the newly reconstructed Gbengande Market and convert the land into a palace, while also allegedly planning to turn the existing palace into a town hall.
The petition, which was also circulated to several state government officials, including the Commissioners for Local Government and Urban Planning, and the Police Commissioner, claimed the alleged actions posed a risk of breaching public peace in the community.
Despite attempts at amicable resolution through legal counsel, Oba Alatishe reportedly refused to issue an apology or retract the claims, prompting Dr. Adegunwa to seek redress in court.
In court, Oba Alatishe admitted under cross-examination that his allegations were based on hearsay. Justice Osinuga noted:
“When Kabiyesi was asked how he came about the information, he said some people told him—yet he was unwilling to name them.”
The court held that it was reckless and unjustifiable for the monarch to make such serious allegations without evidence and faulted his refusal to apologize.
The judge concluded that a clear case of defamation had been established and ruled in favor of the claimant.