The family of late prominent Lagosian, and Legal Practitioner, Alhaji Raimi Shitta-Bey has dragged the Lagos State Government to court over the seizure of a family land by its agents.
One of the surviving Administrators to the Estate of Alhaji Abdul Raimi Shitta-Bey, Alhaja Shefiat Shitta-Bey and some family members are in court to retrieve their property allegedly seized by the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency and handed to Mr Saheed Keshinro, who is seen as a trespasser on the property.
Aside the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, also joined in the suit are the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State and Mr Saheed Keshinro.
The property in dispute, located at No. 35/37 Martin Street off Broad Street, Lagos Island, is said to have been initially acquired by Mr Ajibade Akinbode Adesola in 1952 from the then, Lagos Executive Development Board, who later passed ownership of the property to late Alhaji Shitta-Bey in 1958 and Registered as a freehold at The Lands Registry under Title No LO3238
Though the property was being administered by the Administrators of the Estate of Alhaji Raimi Shitta-Bey, it was actually leased to Pan African Bank (now defunct).
The subsisting lease, to end on 31stJanuary, 2023, was assigned by Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) as Liquidator of Pan African Bank to Arch. Waziri B. Mustapha who is one of the claimants.
According to lawyers to the Shitta-Bey family, This has been the status quo until Mr Keshinro, backed by the agents of Lagos State Government trespassed on the property, after the it was gutted by fire on January, 29, 2020.
In the suit, LD/9813LMW/2020, filed before Hon. Justice J.E. Oyefeso, the claimants are seeking that the Judge declare government’s encroachment on the family land illegal, and an act of gross injustice.
In the interim, the claimants are also seeking an order of Interlocutory Injunction against the defendants stopping the developer from continuing construction of the property.
They are relying on the judiciary to address the illegality by returning the property to its rightful owner, as the State cannot be above the law.
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