Okoya Family, Senator Obende in Bitter Property Dispute Over Lekki Estate

Fresh controversy has erupted in a high-stakes property dispute involving billionaire industrialist Chief Razaq Okoya, his wife Chief (Mrs.) Shade Okoya, and former lawmaker Senator Domingo Obende. The contentious matter centers on a multi-million-naira property situated at Plot 96, Ladipo Omotosho Cole Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

Green Birch Limited, the property sales and management company leasing the 16-unit building from the Okoya family, has accused the billionaire couple of directly collecting rents from tenants in violation of the existing lease agreement. The company claims the Okoyas had instructed tenants to cease rent payments to Green Birch, causing confusion and rent payment shifts to the Okoya family instead.

Further allegations include harassment, assaults, and arrests of Green Birch staff linked to rent payment disputes, with the company condemning the Okoyas’ conflicting actions of denying it rent while demanding money simultaneously. Green Birch asserts it has invested heavily to maintain and improve the property and seeks to recover its investment legally, but accuses the Okoyas of resorting to intimidation to capitalize on the property’s rising market value.

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Complicating the dispute is the involvement of Senator Domingo Obende, who holds the property’s original Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and had the document as collateral for a $250,000 loan extended to the Okoyas through his company, Dajo Oil Nigeria Limited. The C of O remains with Senator Obende amid ongoing court proceedings under Suit No: LD/5226GCM/2021. Following this, Dajo Oil directed Green Birch to suspend all rent payments to the Okoyas pending judicial resolution.

Chief Razaq Okoya, founder and chairman of the prominent Eleganza Group of Companies with a net worth estimated between ₦180 billion and ₦200 billion, has yet to respond publicly to these latest developments. The dispute has drawn widespread attention across Lagos’ real estate and business communities due to its intricate mix of legal, financial, and tenancy issues.