Gospel Artiste, Funmi Aragbaye Sues Oyo Businesswoman Over A Failed Land Deal

Evangelist Funmi Aragbaye
Evangelist Funmi Aragbaye

Gospel artiste, Funmi Aragbaye, has filed a N30m suit against an Ibadan-based businesswoman, Adetohun Oladeji, a.k.a. For the Mama Ke, over a failed land deal.

Aragbaye, in a writ of summons filed at the state High Court on Wednesday, stated that Oladeji short-changed her in the sale of a piece of land worth N6.5m at Gbopa village, Eruwa Road, Ibadan.

She declared in her statement of claim filed by her counsel, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), that “The defendant has committed a breach of contract for the sale of a vacant piece of land at Gbopa Village, Ibadan.

“The defendant is liable by virtue of Section 57 of the Bill of Exchange, to pay the claimant the sum of N500,000 being the balance of N6.5m on the land.”

It stated that the N30m damages demanded by the claimant was the bank interest rate (20 per cent per annum) on the N6.5m cheque which Oladeji issued on October 5, 2011, until the maturity date of the cheque on February 2013, when N6m out of the original sum was paid with the GTB cheque no. 00000223.

It added, “The sum of N30,650,000 represents special and general damages suffered by the claimant as a result of the breach by the defendant in the sale of the said piece of land and 10 per cent on any sum awarded from the date of judgment until payment.”

The claimant said the sum of N350,000 was spent on survey with N300,000 incurred on clearing on three occasions before she was evicted from the land by the original landowners.

Meanwhile, a Magistrate’s Court in Ibadan has fixed April 10 for the hearing of a threat to life case between Aragbaye and Oladeji’s daughter, Olubunmi Bankole, in a case with charge number MI17C/2013 in respect of the land.

Aragbaye said it took her three years to recover N6m from the vendor following her inability to take possession of the piece of land. [Punch]