A long-running land dispute in Festac Extension, Lagos, has taken another turn, with the Kuje Amuwo Chieftaincy Family urging the Nigeria Police Force to conclude its investigation and make its findings public.

The family, which is laying claim to a portion of land around the 6th and 7th Avenue axis of the community, said the prolonged investigation was adding to the uncertainty surrounding the property and appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Police Monitoring Unit in Obalende to bring the matter to a conclusion.

According to the family, its petition to the IGP was approved for investigation and subsequently assigned to the Police Monitoring Unit, Lagos Branch, Obalende, with an Inspector Ifajimi reportedly leading the probe.

The family, however, said that despite the commencement of the investigation, the process had yet to be concluded.

It therefore called on the police authorities to expedite the investigation, establish the facts and communicate their findings to all parties involved.

The dispute centres on land originally acquired by the Federal Government for the 1977 Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC).

The family said a charting exercise conducted by the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation showed that 4.017 hectares of the disputed land fell within the Federal Housing Authority’s (FHA) acquisition, while the remaining portion, according to the family, belonged to the Kuje Amuwo Chieftaincy Family.

It further claimed that the Federal Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development released the unused portion of the land to the family in December 2010.

The family said subsequent attempts by alleged trespassers to encroach on the property resulted in litigation, which led to an interlocutory injunction granted by the Federal High Court in Lagos on February 29, 2016.

It added that possession of the land was subsequently taken on May 25, 2016.

The family said the dispute had since gone through various stages of the appellate process and was now before Justice Raliat Adebiyi of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, for retrial, following earlier attempts to resolve the matter out of court.

Amid the continuing legal battle, the family alleged that the Lagos State Task Force on Land Matters had subjected it to harassment and intimidation and disrupted activities on the disputed property.

It also alleged that the task force was acting in concert with the FHA and other interests in relation to the land.

The allegations have not been established by a court.

The family further maintained that there were subsisting restraining orders and injunctions concerning the property, and urged government agencies and other parties to respect the judicial process while the case remained before the courts.

It also called for an end to what it described as harassment and disruption on the property pending the determination of the case.

Specifically, the family appealed for the removal of a makeshift structure it said had been erected at the entrance of Early Life Gate.

It urged the FHA and other stakeholders to pursue lawful means of resolving the dispute rather than resorting to self-help.

The family said a prompt conclusion of the police investigation, alongside the ongoing court proceedings, would help clarify the issues at stake and contribute to resolving the longstanding dispute.