Isolo kingship legal battle intensifies as Prince Yekini-Goloba sues Lagos State over alleged unlawful installation of Prince Shekoni-Faronbi
Isolo kingship legal battle has reached a new peak following legal action filed by Prince Jimmy Adetokunbo Yekini-Goloba against the Lagos State Government and others.
The prince is challenging the installation of Prince Isa Abiodun Shekoni-Faronbi as the new traditional ruler of Isolo, a development that has ignited serious interest across the community.
The legal suit, lodged before the Lagos State High Court and recorded as LD/13362/2025, requests the court to recognise Yekini-Goloba as the rightful heir to the throne.
He asserts that the succession process has been historically rotational among the royal families and that the Alagbeji Ruling House, to which he belongs, is next in line to produce the monarch.
Represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Professor Olarenwaju Fagbohun, Yekini-Goloba has filed a comprehensive case against not only Prince Shekoni-Faronbi but also several state and local authorities.
These include the Governor of Lagos State, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Chieftaincy Committee of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government, and the Executive Chairman of Oshodi-Isolo Local Council.
The plaintiff seeks multiple court declarations and injunctions.
Chief among them is a request to nullify the nomination, approval, and installation of Shekoni-Faronbi, which he describes as contrary to tradition and pending litigation.
He also seeks an order mandating the state to acknowledge and install him as the legitimate Osolo of Isolo.
Yekini-Goloba’s legal claim is grounded in his royal lineage and the rotational structure of succession in Isolo.
He argues that the late Oba Kabiru Alani Adelaja Agbabiaka (Adeola Olushi III), who passed in April 2024, was not from the Alagbeji house, which therefore now has the right to present the next monarch.
The prince maintains that he was duly selected by Kingmakers, consulted through the Ifa oracle, and endorsed in a fair internal process within the Alagbeji house.
The procedure was flawed from the beginning and ignored not only our traditions but also existing legal concerns.
In a sworn affidavit submitted to the court, Yekini-Goloba outlines his ancestral connections to all three officially recognised ruling families in Isolo: Alagbeji, Okota, and Adeola.
He insists that Shekoni-Faronbi’s appointment breached not only royal customs but also the legal process, as there was a pending case at the time of the installation.
“The procedure was flawed from the beginning and ignored not only our traditions but also existing legal concerns,” he stated through his counsel.
The lawsuit does not stop at a call for recognition. Yekini-Goloba is also asking for the immediate withdrawal of the staff of office and all related instruments from the current titleholder.
He further demands financial compensation amounting to ₦50 million, which he claims is necessary to cover the legal and administrative costs of pursuing the matter.
Observers from the community and legal fields are watching closely, as the outcome could redefine succession processes not just in Isolo but in similar traditional settings across Lagos State.
If successful, Yekini-Goloba’s case might prompt a legal precedent for greater scrutiny in the recognition and appointment of monarchs.
For now, the matter remains before the court, and no official date has been set for judgment. The palace at Isolo remains in focus as legal proceedings unfold.
Tensions remain calm, but the eyes of tradition, law, and the public remain fixed on the courtroom, where the next chapter of this royal conflict will soon be written.
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