S/Court Judgement: Shangisha Landlords Association Advise Homeowners to Rectify Titles
The Chief Judge of Lagos State recently gave the Landlords Association of Shangisha, Lagos authorisation to enforce a 2012 judgement of the Supreme Court in its favour, after a long-drawn legal battle with the Lagos State Government over a prime piece of
The Shangisha landlords, the original owners of the land in the Shangisha Village Scheme, later called Magodo Scheme II in Kosofe, acquired by the Lagos State Government for overriding public interest, wanted their land back and had a long-drawn legal battle with the government, which began in 1988 and ended at the Supreme Court in their favour on February 10, 2012. They eventually got a warrant of execution of the Supreme Court judgement dated 16th March 2017 and are set to enforce.
The Landlords Association of Shangisha, Lagos, actually considered using violence to evict all the occupants of the land for which the Supreme Court gave them judgement over the Lagos State Government but they have now resolved to give everybody who did not buy land from them to rectify ownership of such land with them.
It is a fair deal and the only way out, said the Landlords Association of Shangisha, recently, in a press statement signed by its Chairman, Chief Adebayo Adeyiga. “The only way out is for the Judgment debtors and their agent/ privies i.e the Magodo Residents Association (MRA) to reach the Landlord Association of Shangisha/Magodo (Judgment creditors) to enable them rectify their title with the Judgment creditors or in the alternative let them concede all the unoccupied parcel of land and landed properties to meet the judgment land of 549 plots.”
When talk broke of violent takeover of their property, after the Chief Judge of Lagos State signed the Possession Order, the Magodo Residents Association (MRA) called a press conference to say they had approached a High Court in Lagos to set aside the warrant of possession issued by the Chief Judge of Lagos State in execution of a judgement of the Supreme Court in favour of the Shangisha Landlords Association, led by Chief Adebayo Adeyiga.
The Chairman of MRA, Mr. Kunle Eludire, at the press conference at the Estate Secretariat, had claimed the Shangisha Landlords Association was set to enforce it by invading the homes of residents of Magodo.
Eludire also appealed to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, the Inspector General of Police, Director of State Security, among others, to intervene to prevent what, he noted, would end in mayhem.
The disagreement... The Shangisha Landlords association said “It is unfortunate that the judgment debtors have suggested allocation of alternative land which does not seem to be reasonable and contrary to the judgment of the SCN (Supreme Court of Nigeria) which decided only on the said Shangisha village scheme land now known as Magodo Scheme II aforesaid. How can the Lagos State Government (Judgment Debtors) suggests that the Judgment creditors should allow their illegal benefactors/trespassers/contemnors who claimed to be members of the Magodo Residents Association (MRA), who build their houses in contempt of the interlocutory order granted by the court of competent jurisdiction to remain on the adjudged land while the Judgment Creditors who ought to be entitled to the fruit of their judgment, are advised to vacate the said land for another alternative land which they must have deceptively collected from other families/ community in the name of overriding public interest. It is like saying, that the owner of a stolen goat be forced to leave the goat for the thief because the latter is rich and he is a prince of an affluent king.”
Attempts at alternative resolution... The Shangisha Landlords Association said they tried to resolve the matter with the government and that “there was no meeting or negotiation between us and Lagos State Government or its Agents since the National Judicial Council directed the Chief Justice of Lagos State (Hon. Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade) to give us authority to possess the Magodo Scheme II land through her writ of possession of 16th March 2017, which the Lagos State Government prevented her from signing for over five years. That shows how Lagos has relegated the rule of law and ridiculed the judgment /orders of the Supreme Court of Nigeria with ignominy.
“We are on the side of the rule of law. Whatever action the Lagos State Government is taking to prevent the execution of the judgment is tantamount to obstruction and perversion of Justice and that will be addressed by the authorities concerned.”
The Landlords said, “Not minding our victory (Supreme Court), we tried all methods known in conflict resolution, including auditing the remaining lands, having several meetings with one time Attorney General and Solicitor General (Mr. Ade Ipaye and Mr. Lawal Pedro) all to no avail. They said the Scheme is not designed for poor people, the Supreme Court of Nigeria lambasted, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem and warned against the refusal of Lagos State Government to comply with the judgment/order of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“On June 2nd 2016, the A-G Lagos State on behalf of the Judgment Creditors; invited us to a meeting where we gave him memorandum for settlement, he just slept over it. Instead the Lagos State Government organized two groups of people to do everything to destroy the writ of possession as ordered by the NJC.
“In August 2016, we wrote Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to step into the matter, copying Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akinolu (Oba in Council).”