“THEY EXECUTED A JUDGMENT ON THE WRONG PROPERTY” — LAGOS BUSINESSMAN

A Lagos businessman, Oladimeji Ogunfolaju, has accused court officials of executing a land judgment on the wrong property in Ikorodu, alleging that the judgment concerned a different location and that he was never served with prior notice of the proceedings.

THE EXECUTION

Ogunfolaju, the Chief Executive Officer of Lakers County, said the incident occurred on October 7, 2026, when a sheriff-led team, accompanied by two police officers, arrived at his service apartment in Ibelefun, Amojo Village, along Ibeshe Road, Ikorodu.

According to him, the officials claimed they had come to take possession of the property pursuant to a judgment delivered in May 2025 by Justice A.F. Pokanu of the High Court of Lagos State, Ikorodu Judicial Division.

Ogunfolaju said he was surprised by the development because he had not been served with any court paper relating to the matter. He alleged that the judgment was obtained in a suit instituted in 2024 by Omoregie Daniel Osagie against persons described as unknown, adding that neither his name nor the address of his property appeared in the judgment presented by the officials.

“The address of the property they are supposed to execute the judgment is Block 16, Plot 1, Ikorodu GRA II, around Ebute Ipakodo, while my property is situated at Ibelefun, Amojo Village, off Ibeshe Road in Ikorodu,” he said.

THE ASSAULT AND DISRUPTION

The businessman said he presented documents supporting his claim to the property, but the officials proceeded with the execution.

He said beds, chairs, televisions, refrigerators, fans and fittings were removed from two of the five apartments and placed in front of the building.

Ogunfolaju also alleged that the officials assaulted his security guard when the guard attempted to close the gate on his instruction. He said the incident was captured by his closed-circuit television cameras.

The development disrupted his service-apartment business, forcing him to compensate customers and ask them to leave while he sought to resolve the dispute.

Ogunfolaju said the officials directed him to visit the Deputy Sheriff’s office in Ikeja after the execution. He identified the lead sheriff and another official .

THE JUDGMENT

Documents obtained by SaharaReporters show that the judgment was delivered on May 2, 2025, in Suit No. IKD/15534LMW/2024, instituted by Omoregie Daniel Osagie against a defendant identified as “Persons Unknown”.

In the judgment, Justice Pokanu ordered that Osagie recover possession of the property described as Block 16, Plot 1, Ikorodu GRA II Residential Scheme, Ikorodu, Lagos State, forthwith.

According to the judgment, Osagie said the Lagos State Government allocated the property to him in 2009 and confirmed the allocation in 2011. He relied on a survey plan dated October 28, 2022, and said he had taken possession of the land before leaving Nigeria for Canada in 2015 .

He alleged that he was informed of trespass on the land in February 2017, when construction was reportedly underway, and that efforts to identify those occupying the property were unsuccessful .

THE LATE LANDOWNER’S ATTORNEY SPEAKS

Mikail Ayeni, who said he holds a power of attorney from members of the family of the late T.O.S. Benson, supported Ogunfolaju’s account that the property described in the judgment was different from the land belonging to the family at Ibelefun, Amojo Village.

Ayeni said he first saw the judgment presented by the court officials on October 7, 2026, despite an earlier injunction affecting the land.

He disputed the description of the property as being in Ikorodu GRA II, arguing that the judgment’s stated location did not correspond with the family’s land at Ibelefun, Amojo.

“The judgment they brought says the land is at GRA II whereas our land is at Ibelefun Amujo,” Ayeni said, describing the alleged discrepancy as a miscarriage of justice.

Ayeni alleged that land grabbers, working in connivance with some government officials, had invaded the approximately 55-acre property in 2008, the year Benson died, noting that some of them were arrested. He said Ogunfolaju was a family friend who had helped fund efforts to recover the land.

The family subsequently allocated the particular property to the businessman as a grant through him, allowing Ogunfolaju to complete the building.

THE CALL FOR INTERVENTION

Ogunfolaju has called on the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, to examine the circumstances surrounding the execution and the service of court processes .

WHY IT MATTERS

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The case raises serious questions about the execution of judgments in Nigeria. If a judgment can be executed on the wrong property without the occupant being served, the consequences are severe: businesses are disrupted, property is seized, and citizens are left without recourse.

The businessman’s allegation that his security guard was assaulted compounds the concern.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the Chief Judge has not yet responded to the call for intervention.