Lagos’ Suenu family takes over UAC property in Abebe village
Litigation
SEQUEL to an agreement reached between the Suenu Chieftaincy family and its tenant, United African Company (UAC), a land measuring about 6.531 acres in Abebe village in Surulere Local Government Area, Lagos State has been taken over by the family.
The agreement on the land inhabited by Olam Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Ropes Plc, and other international companies came as an out-of-court settlement, which was made a consent judgment by
Justice A. M. Lawal of Lagos State High Court.
The family represented by Chief Omogbolahan A. N. Durosimi, Qudus O. Suenu, Shakirudeen Yussuf Samisideen O. Ogungbadero and Mohammed M. Durosimi had sometimes in 2015, instituted a suit marked LD/1170GCMW/2015, against U.A.C. Nigeria Plc and Registrar of Title, Lagos State, over the large portion of the land.
Justice Lawal in his judgment delivered on March 13, 2017 but signed on July 12, 2019, said: “by virtue of terms of settlement dated January 24, 2017, the claimant and the first defendant agreed to settle the issue raised in the suit on the conditions stipulated in said terms and which terms were pronounced upon by this Honourable Court as the judgment of the Court on July 10, 2017”.
The family on September 23, 2019, in a motion exparte, approached Justice Mojrenike Obadina’s court for the enforcement of the judgment.
In granting the exparte motion, Justice Obadina held: “upon the application dated September 23, 2019, coming before this honourable court to be heard on behalf of the claimants/judgment creditors/applicants.
“And upon reading the affidavit in support of the motion of Samisideen Olaseni Ogungbadero, Secretary to Suenu Chieftaincy Family, sworn to and filed o at the High Court Registry, on September 26, 2019 and after hearing G. C. Nwosu of counsel to the judgment creditors/applicants, it is hereby ordered as prayed, leave is granted, the applicants to executed the judgment of the Honourable Court delivered in this suit on March 13, 2017. “Order is granted issuing warrant of execution of the said judgment”.
Prior to the execution the judgment, the judgment executor, Otunba Tomori Williams, while speaking with neswmen narrated how Suenu Chieftaincy family became the owner of the land in the 19th century, which was given to them by Olooto Royal family-friendly filters I was on. He also narrated how the part of the land was leased to U.A.C upon approaching the family in 1947 and 1952. Adding that after sometimes UAC, which had been unhindered possession till
today, stopped, failed and refused to pay the statutory leasehold agreement to Suenu Chieftaincy family.
Williams explained that following the failure and refusal of UAC to pay statutory leasehold agreement on the land, forced Suenu Chieftaincy family to approach the court and instituted the suit. But stated UAC entered out-ofcourt settlement with the family and agreement eventual became the judgment of the court, which he was empowered to execute.
He also stated that the said property in question is not a subject of any other litigation, as Suenu Chieftaincy Family has been unhindered possession through the people they leased it to, primarily, UAC, Nigerian Properties company and others.