Sunday Ehigiator
The Ikeja Saddle Club has petitioned the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2, Onikan, AIG Johnson Kokumo, to look into what it described as an “unlawful invasion, forceful take over and destruction of the land and properties of Ikeja Saddle Club”, situated at Isheri Road, off Olowora, Ojodu Berger, Lagos State.
In a petition dated September 24, 2021 and signed by its solicitors, Femi Okunnu and Co, the Ikeja Saddle Club explained that in the early hours of last Thursday, heavily armed and stern looking policemen “alongside other no nonsense armed men in plain clothes without warning invaded our client’s land and property and took over the entire land and property.”
It said the officers refused to disclose where they were from and who sent them to invade its client’s land, but angrily responded that they were sent to take over the land without fail and nobody could stop them or remove them.
“Like in a movie, they rounded up all the staff including the grooms who were feeding and tending to the horses in their stable. They arrested four members of client’s staff, chased away the remaining workers.”
It said the policemen equally took some staff of the club away to an unknown destination even as they systematically began to destroy the properties.
The law firm explained that: “They removed the roof of the reception area, brought in chain saw and started cutting and felling down trees in the compound. They were boasting that they were bringing in bulldozers to completely pull down, the club house, reception area and other buildings on the land and bring down and uproot all the trees on our client’s land.
“It was much later in the day that our client’s got to know that the policemen were from the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 2, Onikan, when the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) Opue Aju spoke through the mobile telephone line of one of the employee of our client who was taken away earlier in day, spoke to our client.”
It also accused the Ikumoworo Family, led by one Princess Josephine Momoh of being behind the invasion of the property.
It said Momoh “claimed to have secured a judgment of the High Court of Lagos State, delivered by Honourable Justice Candido Johnson on May 3, 2016 in a Suit No.1D/1352/2001.
“They claimed that the judgment of the High Court, Lagos declared them owners of the said land and that the said judgment has been affirmed by the Court of Appeal in a Judgment delivered on November 14, 2019.
“Further that they have sold the area of land being occupied by our client to one Alhaji who could not take possession of the property because our client is on the land.”
The law firm therefore informed the AIG that the area of land being claimed by the Ikumoworo Family was part of the 1969, 7300 Acres Global Acquisition of the Lagos State Government.
“Specifically, the land which is the subject matter of the petition is within the Omole Phase II, Scheme of the Lagos State Government, Isheri, in the Ikeja Area of Lagos State.”
It said the entire land covered by the 1969 Global Acquisition was state owned land and property of the Lagos state government, and on the application of their client made around June 1974, the Lagos state government, on July 8, 1975, allocated a parcel of land at Olowora, near Isheri, to the Ikeja Saddle Club.
“Our client immediately took possession of the parcel of land and has been in possession till date. Our client subsequently applied for and was issued a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) dated February 4, 1997 registered as number 95 at page 95 in volume 1997A of the Lagos State of Nigeria Land Registry Office, Ikeja. A copy of the C of O is attached as Annexure 1.”
The solicitors further informed the AIG that there was an appeal to the Supreme Court coupled with a motion for a stay of execution pending at the Supreme Court over the property.
“The law is settled that when there is an appeal as well as an application for stay of execution or an injunction to restrain the execution and or enforcement of the judgment all steps towards executing and or enforcing the judgment ought to be put on hold pending the determination of the appeal.”
He said when the appeal came up on February 22, 2021, “the attention of the Supreme Court was drawn to the attempts made by the Ikumuworo Family and Princess Josephine Momoh to enforce and execute the judgment in February 2020.
“The Supreme Court deprecated the actions of the Ikumuworo Family and Princess Josephine Momoh and warned them not to take any action that would present the Supreme Court with a fait accompli.”
It therefore urged the AIG to remove his men from their client’s land, stating that the matter was still a subject of appeal at the Court of Appeal, in Lagos and the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“We also urge you to release the four employees of our client detained who were merely going about their legitimate business as they have committed no offence known to law.”
It likewise urged the AIG to intervene, and prevent the destruction of its client’s property, noting that such action may lead to a breakdown of law and order in the state.
