Associated Property Development Company Limited has recovered possession of 2A Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos following an order of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

The order was made on September 13 by Justice Akintayo Aluko against six defendants/respondents – who were in alleged unlawful occupation – following an ex parte application by the firm.

The judge who is sitting sitting as vacation judge made the order after hearing Abubakar Shamsudeen for the plaintiff/applicant who argued that the property had been taken over by an order obtained by the defendant from Lagos High Court in disobedient to the existing order of Justice Daniel Osiagor which was executed on the 24th of July.

The first to sixth defendants/respondents are the Federal Ministry of Communications and Technology; Otunba Olusola Adekanola; Nigeria Telecommunications Ltd; Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development; Implementation Committee on Alienation of Federal Government Property and the Attorney-General of the Federation.

The order, among others, restrained the 2nd and 3rd defendants (Otunba Adekanola, Nigeria Telecommunications), their principal, Bureau of Public Enterprises and any person acting on their behalf “including the Inspector-General of Police and all its subordinates from parading themselves as the new owners of the property at 2A Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State pending the full resumption of continuation of hearing of the substantive suit by the regular Court and hearing of Motion on Notice filed on 17th May.”

It also restrained the defendants from collecting any rent or further rent or charges or from ejecting, evicting or in any manner whatsoever disturbing or further disturbing the quiet possession and enjoyment of the Applicant’s Tenants from the Applicant’s Tenant at the property.

The firm, as plaintiff/respondent in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/4767/2008 executed the order on the Foreshore Towers premises comprising among others, the high-rise and Pee Galleria Shopping Mall buildings.

Associated Property Development Company Ltd’s Human Resources/Admin Manager, Mrs. Joyce Ogala, who executed the order alongside court officials, noted that some of the property had been vandalised allegedly during the respondents’ occupation.

She stated that this was the second time the premises would be “invaded” after a previous court order sacking the defendants from the property.

Ogala said: “On 24th of July we were here to carry out the first execution based on the court order that was given, but on the 28th of August we had a re-invasion by the said BPE and Co.

“They took over the property and they’ve been here for a while. But today, thank God we have a court order of September 13, 2023 and we’ve executed it.

“It is disheartening to see what has happened in our offices. All the doors that we locked at the close of work were all broken and accessed, the access control to our offices were all broken and completely destroyed. The things that we kept intact were vandalised by the said party.

“CCTV cameras on the building were binded by them, so we unbound them. Some CCTVs in our personal offices were damaged or destroyed. At the penthouse, we found out that cutting machines and some fuses were missing from that office. So, a lot of damages occurred. We can’t quantify the damages right now, but we are sure that by the time we settle in gradually, we will know the extent of the damages.

“The order of September 13 has been served on all the parties and they’ve received it.”

The case resumes October 30. (The Guardian)

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