Paulin Eboagwu, the owner of a school in Lagos, and her husband, Daniel Eboagwu, have filed a N11 billion lawsuit in the Lagos State High Court against Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state governor, and six other defendants for the purported demolition of their school’s landed property in the Ilasan Lekki region of the state.
Through their attorney, Babatunde Ademoyo, the educationalists filed suit No. LD/15612LMW/2024 on July 16, 2024, claiming that the governor’s approval was obtained for the delineation of the land on Survey Plan No. KCO/902/006B (613/2018/LA).
The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, a vested oil company, Sterling Oil and its affiliate Chronodexia Investment Nigeria Ltd, Milind Dettatraya Kukarani, and unidentified individuals are among the other defendants in the lawsuit.
The claimants said in court documents made available to PUNCH Metro on Thursday that they purchased the land from Elegushi Property and Investment Company Limited, but that because it was a part of the land that Shell Cooperative Multipurpose Society had sold them, the Indians tried to appropriate a portion of it.
The claimants claimed that the fifth and sixth defendants, Chronodexia Investment Nigeria Ltd. and Mirlind Dettatraya Kukarani, had forced the third and fourth defendants to post a Notice of Contravention on the property’s fence, claiming that our clients did not own the land and that no regulatory permits had been approved. This was done in an attempt to thwart the approval of the building plan and other permits.
“All the title documents, drawings, and soil tests were provided to the third and fourth defendants under their compliance with regulatory and building approvals,” stated Ademoyo, following the intervention of Oba Shaheed Elegushi and a letter written by Elegushi’s lawyer, Mrs Bandele Omotayo, who also served as the claimants’ solicitor.
“The 3rd defendant, upon receipt of the building approval documents and evidence of initial payment of statutory fees, issued a covering notice titled ‘construction under supervision’ with serial No. LASBCA/LIL/000/58 to enable our clients to continue their work on-site.
“The claimants averred that despite compliance with all the demands of the 3rd and 4th defendants, the officers of the 3rd and 4th defendants, along with other unknown persons and armed thugs numbering 300, descended on the property with extreme violence and demolished it.
“The claimants averred that the property in question is a three-story school complex with a rectangular footprint measuring 1,580 square meters,”.
The claimants are asking the court for a declaration that they are the owners of the parcel of land measuring 1,580.565 square metres and a declaration that the act of forceful entry and demolition of their property by the defendants, jointly and severally, is unlawful.
They also prayed the court for the sum of N1bn only as general damages against the defendants, jointly and severally, for the emotional distress caused by the unlawful demolition of the property.
The claimants further asked for the sum of N10bn as special and general damages against the defendants, jointly and severally, for losses incurred by the claimants as a result of the illegal trespass and demolition carried out by the defendants.
“An order of the court compelling the defendants, jointly and severally, to publish a notice of apology for the emotional distress caused to the claimants and the Elegushi Chieftaincy family for the invasion of the Elegushi Royal family land by mobs and thugs, causing a total breakdown of law and order and physical assault on Chief Segun Elegushi, the Opemoluwa of Ikate, Lekki, Lagos.
“A perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, privies, and whosoever acting on their behalf, from further trespass, in any manner whatsoever, or interfering with the claimants’ right to peaceful use and enjoyment of the property.”
When our correspondent contacted the Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, to confirm the case, he said he was not aware of any case.
He said, “I am not aware of any suit against the governor.”