By Abdulwahab Abdulah

A former Navy commander, Lamina Adeleye Kadiri (rtd) has called on Lagos state government to prevail on security officials from intervening in a land dispute between his firm and one Ayodele Eniola.

In a save our souls message to the government, Commander Kadiri, acting on behalf of a real estate firm, GKS Properties, said the call became necessary to avoid chaos as well as preserving the rule of law on a dispute surrounding the land located at Phase 2, Block B parcel 3and4, Gbagada Industrial Scheme on Anthony-Gbagada expressway, Lagos.

According to him, Eniola claimed ownership of the land in May 2014 and entered into it based on a 1999 court judgment from an Ikeja high court purportedly between him and the Lagos State Waste Disposal Board and others.

He explained that in 2007, GKS properties purchased two plots of land in the Gbagada Industrial Scheme Phase II from the Lagos State Government.

He noted, “We took quiet possession and peaceful possession of the parcels of land and fenced it, upon taking possession of our direct allocation documents.’’

“Sometimes in May 2014, one Ayodele Eniola entered into our land claiming that the land belongs to him by virtue a 1999 judgment of an Ikeja High Court ID/2076/92 Ayodele Eniola vs Lagos State Waste Disposal Board & 2 Ors.

“He entered into our land by breaking down some part of our fence and marking same, purporting to be executing the said judgment, resuscitated by the order of Honourable Justice Candide-Johnson.

“We approached the Candide-Johnson court for redress complaining that we were not aware of the 1992 case or the 1999 judgment and that we are not privies to the defendants in the said suit nor were we sued by the claimant.

“After hearing us, the honourable court ordered that GKS and all other such affected parties be restored back to their various holdings, pending the determination of the suit before the court. That order was made in November 2014 under the hand of the judge.

“Later on in the case, the court ordered that parties submit their respective land surveys to the Surveyor-General of Lagos State office for charting and to have a composite plan that will clearly delineate and identify the position of the various holdings.

“All parties complied with this order. When the report of the Surveyor-General came out, it clearly states that, “The property said to belong to Mr Ayodele Eniola Estate verged green is approximately 8960.19m away from the Lagos State Government allocating above i.e allocation (ii) (iii) (iv) (vi) (vii) and (ix) and also property said to belong to Mr Samuel Adebola Atunrase verged brown.

He added Ayodele Eniola brought an appeal against the order of the court restoring us back to our land, which he said has been fixed for November 2016, for hearing.

“However what we saw next is the fresh invasion of our land in the night of 15th April 2016 by a combination of police men and all manners of thugs and miscreants, numbering more than 250 people.

“These invaders on 17th April 2016, set ablaze a large area of the land being a dumping site, just about one hundred to two hundred meters away from Forte Oil and Merit Gas which are also our properties.

“Upon information received about this unfortunate incident, we moved to the site only to find out that the whole place has become dangerous and militarized.”