Uzoma Mba
Despite subsisting court orders and a trail of official records, members of the family of late Nigerian statesman, Otunba T.O.S. Benson, have raised the alarm over continued construction on a disputed parcel of land in Ikorodu, Lagos State, warning that unsuspecting buyers may be exposed to future losses.
The land, measuring about 55 acres and located at Ibelefun, Amojo village, off Ibeshe Road, Ikorodu, is at the centre of a long-running dispute involving alleged encroachment, conflicting land titles and claims of forged documentation.
Speaking for the family, Prince Mikail Ayeni said development activities have continued on the property despite an interlocutory injunction granted on December 17, 2015, by Justice M.A. Savage of the Ikorodu High Court, restraining all parties from further construction pending the determination of a substantive suit.
“Construction is still going on, even with a valid court order in place,” Ayeni said, describing the situation as a serious risk to members of the public who have been led to believe the land is legitimately available for sale.
He explained that the Benson family’s claim to the land is backed by two registered deeds of conveyance obtained in 1975 and 1976, long before the introduction of the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) regime.
“Registered conveyance was the real title relied upon in those days; unless it is revoked, no other title can stand on it,” Ayeni stated, adding that the conveyances remain valid and unrecalled at the Lagos State Land Registry.
According to him, individuals currently building on the land claim to have obtained C of Os from the Lagos State Government. However, he alleged that the gazette being relied upon relates to a different location entirely.
“When we challenged them, they told us they had a C of O. But the gazette they are parading speaks of Ebute, Ipakodo, not Ibelefun–Amojo, Ibeshe,” he said.
Ayeni pointed to reports by the Lagos State Public Advice Centre dated February 12, 2014, and a subsequent confirmation on May 5, 2015, by then Solicitor-General, Mr. Lawal Pedro, which he said established that the gazette referenced land “along the beach at Ebute in Ikorodu,” not the Benson property at Ibeshe.
He also cited a February 27, 2015, report from the Lands Bureau under the Governor’s Office, signed on behalf of the Registrar of Titles, confirming that “Deed of Conveyance No. 48/48/1495 and No. 81/81/1540 are registered in the name of Chief Theophilus Owolabi Shobowale Benson in respect of land at Ibeshe, Ikorodu.”
Certified true copies of the conveyances and official reports were sighted by this reporter.
Beyond the documentation dispute, Ayeni alleged that the family’s property had been forcibly entered, with perimeter fencing demolished, gates removed and materials taken away, while a security guard on duty was reportedly assaulted and left in a coma.
He said the incidents were reported to the Ipakodo Police Division and escalated to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, the Lagos State Police Command, Zone 2 Command and the Force Headquarters.
Ayeni warned prospective buyers to exercise due diligence before purchasing land in the area.
“If the government acquires land, they must show who they acquired it from. Where is the letter of acquisition? Where is the letter of revocation? There is nothing like that here,” he said.
He cautioned that enforcement of any final court judgment could lead to demolitions, regardless of protests, urging members of the public to avoid transactions based on what he described as disputed or misleading claims of government-backed ownership.
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