The landlords of Agric and Owutu in Ikorodu West Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State, have appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to respect the court’s intervention in their case regarding the proposed demolition of their properties.
They have requested the government to halt any demolition activities until their case is resolved and proper compensation is provided.
The landlords are asserting their fundamental human rights to own and acquire property anywhere in Nigeria, as they challenge the sudden issuance of a seven-day notice to vacate their properties.
Their legal counsel, Barr. Alexander Ishogba of Alexander Ishogba & Co., spoke with journalists on Wednesday in Lagos, emphasizing that the landlords approached the court as a last resort, following unsuccessful petitions and protests to the Governor’s office, the Lagos State House of Assembly, and the Chairman of the Lagos West Local Council Development Area.
It is reported that the buildings in Agric and Owutu were previously partially demolished without any compensation being provided by the Lagos State Government. The landlords expressed astonishment at the administration’s intention to demolish their properties once again, especially after they had reconstructed many of them into two-storey buildings with the help of bank loans and property developers.
They implored the government to honor the agreement made in 2018.
The landlords voiced their suspicions, stating, “it is suspected that some people are hiding under the name of the Lagos State Government and the road construction project to connive with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Ministry of Works, and Ministry of Physical Planning to render them homeless.”
Barr. Ishogba stressed that while his clients support the progress and development of Lagos State, they expect appropriate and fair compensation, as well as adherence to due process, whenever legally constructed properties are acquired for public use prior to any demolition taking place.
Mr AbdulGaniyy Mustapha, the spokesperson for the landlords who uses a wheelchair, urged the Lagos State House of Assembly to fulfill its promise of preventing any illegal demolition without proper diligence and adequate compensation.
Mustapha, a prominent member of the Association of the Physically Challenged in Lagos State, revealed that their investigations discovered a clandestine plan by influential individuals, including transport union members inside and outside the local government, colluding with the construction company to unlawfully seize properties unaffected by the construction work.
