Officials of Lagos State Development And Property Corporation (LSDPC) are at the risk of going to the jail for an alleged disobedience to orders of a Lagos Federal High Court.
Other defendants in the matter are; Attorney- General Of Lagos State; Registrar Of Titles, Land Bureau, Lagos State, and Federal Land Registry, Ikoyi, Lagos
The LSDPC principal officers cited for contempt were alleged to have disobeyed the orders made on May 9, 2023, by Justice Yelim Bogoro, in a suit marked FHC/L/CS/805/2023, filed against them by the trio of Owodipo Awolowo Shonowo; Owokemi Omogbemi Shonowo and Owodolapo Bosola Shonowo, who are the owners of a landed property.
Justice Bogoro while granting an Exparte motion filed by Mr. Adetunji Adedoyin.
Adeniyi, counsel to plaintiffs/applicants, restrained all the alleged contemnors, their privies, agents and/or their assigns and all other officers or servants under their control from interfering, selling, entering, acquiring and dealing with or trespassing into the property situate at Plot 11 in the Residential Area presently now situate at Plot 11 Akinola Martins Close, South-West, Ikoyi, Lagos State (now known as No. 1a & 1b Okunola Martins Close, South West ikoyi, Lagos), which is the subject matter of the instant suit, in any manner whatsoever, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
Counsel to the aggrieved property owners, Adetunji Adeniyi-Adedoyin of AAA Chambers, had approached the court on May 9th to seek an interim injunction restraining the defendants and their agents or its officers from interfering, selling, entering, acquiring, and dealing with or trespassing into the plaintiffs’ property. The exparte order was granted by Justice Yellini Bogoro.
However, while the order was still subsisting, yet to be discharged and the motion on notice was yet to be determined, the alleged contemnors were said to have tampered with the ‘res’ and sold the property to a purported buyer, Villa Angelia Hotel Limited whose alter ego is one Chief Chidi Anyeagbu, popularly known as Chisco, despite the subsisting order of the court.
The development which compelled the plaintiffs’s lawyer, Adeniyi-Adedoyin to write to the defendants on the need to uphold the order of the court and stop further trespass on the property.
Three property owners through their lawyer, filed Form 48, Notice of Consequences of disobedience to order of court against the Lagos State Government and some of its officials for disobeying a court order restraining them from dealing with their property located at Plot 11 in the residential area now known as No. 1A & 1B Okunola Martins Close, South West Ikoyi, Lagos.
Others listed are; Mr. Ayodeji Joseph and Adedamola Adepegba both LSDPC‘s Managing Director and the Company Sec/Legal Adviser, the company’s Executive Director, Mr Olusodo, and the Deputy General Manager/Solicitor, LSDPC, Olubusola Omotayo Akinbiyi.
The notice which is dated October 12th has been served on all the alleged contemnors through their office, LSPDC.
Parts of the notice reads: “Take Notice that unless you obey the directions contained in this order attached, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”
