The Lagos State High Court has nullified the installation and coronation of Ibrahim Adebowale Saliu as the Onise of Ise Kingdom in the Lekki Local Council Development Area of Epe Local Government Area.
The court also ordered the Lagos State Government to withdraw the appointment letter, staff of office and official recognition granted to Saliu following his installation on August 21, 2026. 
Justice Yetunde Adesola Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, gave the orders on Friday, September 11, 2026, in a ruling on an application filed by Alhaji Adeniyi Atere and Mrs Idowu Adebisi Lana in Suit No. LD/0022PRA/2026.
The applicants had approached the court to challenge the process that produced Saliu as the Oba-elect and his subsequent appointment and installation as the Onise of Ise.
In her ruling, Justice Adesanya directed Saliu to surrender the appointment letter, staff of office and other official materials issued to him in connection with the disputed installation.
The judge also restrained him from parading or presenting himself as the Onise of Ise pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The legal battle followed an earlier interim order issued by Justice S. I. Sonaike on August 13, 2026, restraining the Lagos State Government and other defendants from taking further steps to appoint Saliu based on a March 30, 2026 letter forwarding his name as the Oba-elect.
The earlier order was made against allegations that the selection process failed to comply with the Obas and Chiefs of Lagos State Law, 2015, and the Registered Declaration governing the selection of the Onise of Ise.
Although the interim injunction was expected to remain in force for seven days, the parties were scheduled to return to court on August 20 to report compliance and continue proceedings.
The court found that the relevant respondents had been duly served with the order and were aware of the pending case. It noted that some of the respondents had even filed a motion dated August 18 seeking to discharge or set aside the injunction.
Despite the pending proceedings, the installation and coronation of Saliu took place on August 21 at the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development in Alausa, Ikeja.
The applicants subsequently told the court that the state government proceeded with the ceremony in defiance of the subsisting court order. Photographs from the installation and coronation were among the evidence presented before the court.
After considering the affidavits, documents and submissions of the parties, Justice Adesanya held that the earlier injunction had been breached.
The judge further considered whether the court had the power to reverse an act that had already been carried out despite an injunction.
She held that although injunctions are ordinarily issued to prevent an action from taking place, the court can, in exceptional circumstances, grant a mandatory injunction requiring parties to undo an act already carried out.
The court relied on previous judicial authorities, including cases involving the Central Bank of Nigeria and a separate chieftaincy dispute, in reaching its decision.
Justice Adesanya consequently ordered the Lagos State Governor, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, as well as the ministry, to withdraw the appointment letter, staff of office and official recognition granted to Saliu.
The court also ordered Saliu to surrender the documents and materials connected to his appointment and to cease presenting himself as the traditional ruler of Ise.
It further set aside and nullified the installation and coronation held on August 21.
However, the judge stressed that the latest ruling does not constitute a final determination of who is legally entitled to occupy the Onise of Ise stool.
The orders are to remain in force pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit, which will address the wider dispute over the selection and appointment of the traditional ruler.
