A land dispute in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State has deepened following claims that council officials pulled down a property in defiance of a subsisting court judgment.
The property owner, Ibrahim Abubakar, said the demolition took place around 1 p.m. on July 15, 2026, when a senior council official, backed by police officers and suspected thugs, brought down his structure at Alaba International Market without any legal backing.
He alleged that the action flouted a February 6, 2025 judgment delivered by Justice S. Sonaike of the Lagos State High Court in Suit No. BD/1020LMW/2015. In that ruling, the court recognised Abubakar as the rightful owner of about 1,679.177 square metres of land behind Alaba Market, covered by Certificate of Occupancy No. 80, Volume 2007 AC.
The judgment handed Abubakar the right to repossess the land and issued “a perpetual injunction restraining Ojo council, its agents, servants and assigns from trespassing on the property.” The court also awarded him N1 million in damages, although he had originally demanded N20 million.
According to Abubakar, the defendants had filed a notice of appeal as well as an application for a stay of execution, both of which remain pending, but took no further legal steps before allegedly demolishing the building.
He described the demolition as an act of self-help, arguing that the council resorted to it instead of pursuing lawful avenues to challenge the judgment.
As of press time, neither Ojo Local Government nor the Nigeria Police Force had reacted to the allegations.
Source: Vanguard.
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