The Abayomi-Cole family has stated that nobody apart from their family owns the 96 acres land that now constitutes Sumaila Town right up to the back of the new United States of America embassy.
A spokesperson for the family, Elizabeth Georgiana Parkinson explained that they had a family plan dated 5th February 1998 which showed that from the back of the US embassy upwards to Leicester Rd and down to George Brook valley to Sumaila Town was their property.
Contrary to claims by some people including one Alhaji Amadu Wurie and Daklalah of Freetown, this survey plan no.Ls2064/97 was the latest of such family documents which their uncle Edmund Parkinson had bequeathed them. According to them, the entire land was owned by the late Dr John Abayomi Cole. They also showed documents of conveyances of 1895 and 1917 which proved that the land was indeed their own and as such nobody else had any legal claim to it.
It was also disclosed that even the piece of land given to the American embassy was done in error as the family had seen the Lands Minister on the issue and he had apologized to the family.
Also the recent High Court judgment by Justice Patrick Hamilton clearly vindicated their claim that not all lands in the Western Area are state lands.
The family also explained that they had earlier experienced trespassing on the land and had gone to court on the issue.
However, after a series of legal battles, they have ensured that the various survey plans for their lands are stamped and signed by the Lands Ministry as per a court order which is stamped on every such plan.
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