Residents of Modupe Johnson Crescent, Surulere, Lagos, have warned the public and prospective property buyers against entering into any transaction involving a 36-unit multi-storey residential estate allegedly being developed on the premises of Gbaja Boys High School.

The Incorporated Trustees of Modupe Johnson Crescent Residents’ Association issued the warning in a Caveat Emptor notice dated September 21, 2026, through their lawyer, Imran O. Shitta-Bey of S. A. Shitta-Bey & Co., Barristers and Solicitors.

The association said the disputed property is the subject of an ongoing suit, marked LD/6333LM/2026, before the High Court of Lagos State, Lagos Judicial Division. The suit involves the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) and eight others.

According to the notice, the residents are challenging what they described as the alleged takeover of school land and its conversion into a residential estate.

They alleged that the development constituted unauthorised construction, trespass, encroachment and interference with land designated for educational purposes.

The residents further alleged that the project, reportedly being constructed on the edge of a canal within Gbaja Boys High School, was being undertaken without several regulatory approvals.

They listed the approvals as planning permission, an approved building plan, Environmental Impact Assessment clearance, drainage alignment clearance, Traffic Impact Assessment clearance and approval from the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

The association said it had filed 16 reliefs before the court, including an order directing the relevant authorities to permanently seal the construction site and remove structures allegedly erected on the disputed land.
It is also seeking a declaration that any alleged disregard of stop-work and seal-up orders amounted to unlawful acts and abuse of office.

The residents invoked the doctrine of lis pendens, warning individuals, companies and other entities that any purchase, lease, mortgage, joint venture or development involving the disputed land while the suit is pending would be undertaken at their own risk.

The association said its legal standing to challenge the development had previously been recognised by the High Court in an earlier suit, marked LD/5840LM/2025, involving the same parties.

It stated that the court granted pre-emptive injunctions on January 27, 2026, and subsequently held, on March 18, 2026, that the association, as representatives of the affected community, had demonstrated a threatened legal right warranting protection.

The residents therefore urged members of the public, financial institutions, corporate bodies and real estate operators to refrain from dealing with the disputed development pending the determination of the ongoing litigation.