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 portion of the land that Shell Cooperative Multipurpose Society had sold them, the Indians tried to appropriate some 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 provided a covering notice headed “construction under supervision” with serial No. LASBCA/LIL/000/58 to allow our clients to continue their work on-site after receiving the building approval paperwork and proof of initial payment of statutory costs.
The claims claimed that in spite of their compliance with all of the demands made by the third and fourth defendants, the officers of these defendants, along by 300 armed thugs and other unidentified individuals, stormed the property with tremendous violence and destroyed it.
The property in question, according to the claimants, is a three-story school complex with a 1,580 square meter rectangular footprint.
The claimants are requesting from the court a ruling that they are the rightful owners of the 1,580.565 square meter plot of land and that the defendants’ joint and multiple acts of violent entry and property demolition were illegal.
Additionally, they asked the court to award them N1 billion in general damages, jointly and severally, for the psychological suffering brought on by the illegitimate demolition of the property.
In addition, the claimants requested N10 billion in special and general damages against the defendants, jointly and severally, for losses they sustained as a result of the defendants’ unlawful trespassing and demolition work.
A court order requiring the defendants, jointly and severally, to publish an apology notice for the emotional distress the claimants and the Elegushi Chieftaincy family have experienced as a result of the thugs’ invasion of the Elegushi Royal family land, which completely collapsed law and order and resulted in the physical assault of Chief Segun Elegushi, the Opemoluwa of Ikate, Lekki, Lagos.
“A perpetual injunction prohibiting further trespassing or interference with the claimants’ right to peaceful use and enjoyment of the land by the defendants, their agents, privies, and anybody acting on their behalf.”
Gbenga Omotoso, the Commissioner for Information, denied knowledge of any case when our correspondent called him to verify the details.
“I am not aware of any suit against the governor,” he stated.