A Nigerian-American Property investor and owner of Kings County Property Investment Limited, Alhaji Hameed Kasumu, has refuted a media report describing him as an alleged land grabber.
Kasumu, while reacting in Lagos at the weekend to the publication, titled: “Arraignment Of Alleged Land Grabber, Firm Stalled In Lagos”, said the publication did not look at the case holistically and his own side of the story was not sought, which he described as against the ethics of journalism and legal jurisprudence.
He said the petition by a man, Muhammadu Wada, which warranted the case should not have been entertained by the police since Kasumu’s firm, Kings County Property Investment Limited, has a court judgment in the land matter already.
According to him, a court of competent jurisdiction had decided that Kings County Property Investment Limited was the owner of the land in question in another suit, which the petitioner, Wada, was aware of.
Kasumu advised the media to report cases in court objectively and must not rush in publishing without balanced reports, which he said might be injurious to a party or parties in the case.
Kasumu asserted that he is a reputable businessman, community and Muslim leader, philanthropist of note who has contributed a lot to the development of commerce, his community and humanity.
He said he has nothing to hide about his business dealings, including real estate, education development and other enterprises.
Meanwhile, the media publication had reported that the planned arraignment of Kasumu, over allegations of forcible entry and unlawful possession of a disputed land, was stalled due to the defendant’s absence.
Kasumu was charged alongside his company, Kings County Property Investment Limited, before the Lagos State High Court at the Tafawa Balewa Square by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on a five-count charge marked (LD/26902C/2025).
The police authorities filed the charge following a petition by Wada, who accused the defendants of unlawfully occupying his property located at Plot 15, Alexander Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos.
At the resumed hearing of the matter before Justice Abdul-Raheem Muyideen, the prosecutor, Igile Oju, informed the court that the defendants had been duly served but had failed to appear.
Oju claimed, “We have filed a five-count charge against the defendants. The proof of service is before the court. They are aware of the charges, and I do not know why they are not here.”
However, the defence lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), disputed this claim, stating that the first defendant was outside the court’s jurisdiction and had not been adequately served.
He also told the judge that he had filed a preliminary objection challenging the court’s jurisdiction.
“We filed the application dated November 5, 2025, and served the prosecution in court. The subject matter concerns land allocated to the second defendant and has been litigated before. Where jurisdiction is being challenged, the physical presence of the first defendant is not mandatory,” Adegboruwa argued.
