Elizade Motors and a family known as Ekunsunmi Oshoko are slugging it out at the moment over six hectares of land located at Ojota, Lagos State.
It was reliably gathered that the land in question had been given to Ekunsunmi Oshoko family via a Supreme Court order after a protracted legal tussle with one Alhaji Adelami and others. On the 6th of November last year, Lagos State High Court delivered another verdict which confirmed that the land actually belong to Oshoko Ekunsunmi family. The family was in possession of this land since then.
The Advocate further learnt that recently, some operatives of the Lagos State Task Force allegedly invaded the land forcefully, got the security men on site arrested, and put them in police custody without being charged to court.
The Task Force men were allegedly acting on behalf of one Chief Michael Ojo, the Managing Director of Elizade Motors who reportedly claimed to have leased the land from Oodua Investment on lease rental payment of N9m per year for a period of 40 years.
Upon taking possession of this particular land, Elizade Motors boss allegedly began to paint the fence white under the watchful eyes of stern looking policemen, while the Task Force officials also had there cars parked in the premises.
Upon getting wind of the alleged illegal activities taking place on the land, counsel to Ekunsunmi Oshoko family, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN) secured a Content Order against the Attorney General of Lagos State, Chief Michael Ojo and Chairman of Lagos State Task Force that the trio had invaded service.
Speaking further on the matter, the Chamber of Chief Ayorinde added that those who are saddled with the onus of implementing the tenets of the law have been found wanting. It said that Lagos State Attorney General and Minister for Justice, who is the Chief legal officer of the state has decided to toe the path of lawlessness, despite lots of correspondences from Oshoko Family.
Speaking on the issue, the head of the family asserted that without any shadow of doubt, they remain the legal and rightful owner of the land as far as the Rule of Law is concerned, adding that they have painstakingly passed through the legal hurdles up to the apex court, the Supreme Court.
He expressed optimism that the law will remove the likes of Ojo who paid a petty change of N9m per year for such a massive expanse of 6 hectares of land
land at Ojota, the heartbeat of Lagos. “This is extremely ridiculous and will never stand, we will use everything within the ambit of the law to reclaim our possession,” the head of the family said.
Attempts to speak with the Attorney General’s office to listen to their own side of the story proved abortive as they didn’t pick their calls and the text message sent to them was not responded to. Also, calls made to Elizade Motors’ Corporate Office were not picked.
