Offa Descendants Union Tackles Afe Babalola On S’Court Judgment On Erin Ile

Offa Descendants Union, a tribal association, has disagreed with a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Afe Babalola, over his position on a Supreme Court decision on Erin Ile community in Kwara State.

The group, in a statement made available to journalists, stated that the apex court in its 1973 judgment did not award any part of Offa land to Erin Ile.

The statement, signed for and on behalf of the Offa Descendants Union by Muideen Ibrahim, stated that the statement attributed to the senior lawyer was capable of causing prejudice and bias against the people of Offa in Kwara State.

Babalola, had a few days ago, advised the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq against reviewing the Supreme Court judgment on the land dispute involving Offa and Erin Ile, stating that the governor lacked the powers to undertake any such action.

This, however, was sequel to a peace committee recently constituted by Governor AbdulRazaq to find lasting peace to the two communities.

The committee is headed by a former governor of the state, Chief Cornelius Adebayo.

But Babalola, who claimed to have handled the Erin Ile’s boundary dispute case against Offa in 1971, said the apex court gave judgment in favour of the town, by affirming that a place named ‘Kere Ipinle’, a boundary between the two feuding towns, belonged to Erin Ile.

Babalola said no committee or individual could review the judgment of any court.

In their reaction, the Offa Descendants Union, noted that the statement credited to Babalola could influence the committee against the Offa community.

“Our attention has been drawn to the various publications credited to Chief Afe Babalola, SAN wherein he warned the Kwara State Governor and stated inter alia that Erin Ile won the case in Supreme Court in 1973.

“Offa is a community of responsible people and we do not intend to join issues with Chief Afe Babalola, SAN on what he said in the various publications. This is because the statement credited to him is highly prejudicial and intended to bias the minds of the members of the Panel that was duly constituted by the Kwara State Government and also the general public against Offa.

“Offa will present its position to the Panel at the most appropriate time. But be that as it may, the Supreme Court Judgement of 1973 did not award any part of Offa Land to Erin Ile”, Ibrahim said.

The group pleaded with all to allow the panel to do its job well without being biased, adding that Offa was a very peaceful town with people of high integrity, who had a lot of respect and regard to the members of the panel that was constituted by the governor.