Blind man, others sue Lagos government over demolition of 800 houses

For an alleged illegal demolition of about 800 houses on 200 hectares of land situated at Glorious Villa Estate in Awoyaya area of Ibeju-Lekki, a visually-impaired man, Mr. Kelly Igberhi, alongside other landlords has instituted a suit against the Lagos State government. 
 
Igberhi, who is a comedian, had approach a Lagos High Court in company of other landlords of Glorious Villa Estate in Awoyaya area of Ibeju Lekki to seek justice for the demolition of their houses. He alleged that mobile policemen attached to Lagos State task force broke his entrance door to gain access to his apartment and beat him up despite being a blind man.
 
Respondent in the suit are Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences and Skye Trustee Limited. The plaintiff counsel, Ike Nzetah told the reporters yesterday after filling the suit that the incident happened on July 25, 2018. He said the state government action came as a shock to his clients since a court judgment had settled the tussle of ownership of the land, which their houses were built on.  
 
According to the lawyer, the land had been earmarked for public use earlier by Brigadier General Buba Marwa’s administration as military administrator of Lagos State but it was never fully converted before transmission of power to Bola Tinubu in 1999.

Nzetah noted that when Tinubu became governor, the land was given to Skye Trustees but the owners went to court to challenge government’s decision. He said Justice Oyebanji of a Lagos High Court had on December 12, 2014 gave judgment in favour of the family who sold land to landlords of Glorious Villa Estate.