Landowners and residents of Okun Ajah, Lagos State, have made a public plea to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to intervene in what they describe as the illegal takeover of their properties by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.
The encroachments are reportedly part of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road realignment project, which has sparked serious concerns among the affected property owners.
According to The PUNCH, in a press conference on Tuesday, the landowners, who had previously filed legal actions against Umahi, the Ministry of Works, construction firm Hi-Tech Construction Company Ltd, the Governor of Lagos State, and the Attorney-General of Lagos State, emphasized that the ministry’s actions breached the Land Use Act, disregarding their legal ownership and equitable rights over the land.
The group of affected residents asserted that their properties were being forcibly taken without any prior notification, fair compensation, or observance of the legal processes required under Nigerian law.
Alhaji Abimbola Oshilaja, representing the landowners, condemned the actions of the Ministry of Works, calling them a blatant violation of the rights of property owners who legally acquired their land through the Lagos State Government. Oshilaja remarked that none of the affected parties, including prominent bodies like the Etisalat Staff Cooperative Multipurpose Society Ltd and individuals such as Mr. Olufemi Fasehun, received any formal revocation notice or offers of compensation before the coastal road project was abruptly rerouted to pass through their properties.
“We are living in fear, not knowing when the Ministry of Works officials might suddenly pull down our houses,” Oshilaja expressed, highlighting the anxiety of over 400 homeowners in the Okun Ajah community who are impacted by the realignment. “It is disheartening that many of us with proper titles to our properties are being harassed and intimidated, while powerful individuals who encroached on the coastal road are being spared. That is a clear injustice.”
Legal Counsel for several of the aggrieved landowners, Adeyemi Tajudeen, elaborated on the historical context of the community’s land rights.
He explained that in 2006, under the administration of then-Governor Bola Tinubu, an excision was granted to the Okun Ajah community.
This excision came with a global Certificate of Occupancy, confirming the community’s ownership of the land. At the time, careful steps were taken to ensure that their land was excluded from the coastal road project’s initial alignment.
Tajudeen argued that the ministry’s current actions not only violate the Nigerian Constitution but also contravene the Land Use Act, particularly Section 28, which mandates a formal notice of revocation, a fair hearing, and adequate compensation before any land acquisition can take place.
“We believe that what Umahi is doing is a total breach of the Constitution and the Land Use Act. There was no notice of revocation and no compensation offered. Our clients’ rights are being trampled on under the pretext of realigning the coastal road to accommodate powerful individuals who have encroached on the original alignment,” Tajudeen explained.
Despite the lawsuits filed to prevent further encroachment, the landowners are appealing directly to President Tinubu for intervention.
They argue that the realignment has been manipulated to benefit influential encroachers at the expense of those with legitimate claims.
They remain hopeful that the President, with his history of championing justice and the rule of law, will order the road project to revert to its original path and protect their properties from unlawful seizure.
“Our clients have titles to their properties,” Tajudeen reaffirmed. “We believe that the President, as an advocate of the rule of law, will uphold justice and prevent the misuse of power in this case.”
This ongoing dispute over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road realignment has raised concerns about transparency and fairness in the handling of land acquisitions, leaving the affected community looking to the courts and the highest office in the country for a resolution grounded in fairness, legality, and respect for property rights.
