A medical doctor Ojo Ademola has filed a notice of consequences of disobedience to court order before a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja against a onetime head of the Lagos State Task Force, Engineer Peter Omotosho, Starmark Finance Company Limited and one other over their alleged flagrant disobedience to the court order restraining them from trespassing on his land in Lekki area of the state.
Joined as Defendant/Respondent in the Notice, of Form 48, marked LD/15415LMW/2024, is Mr. Tunji Solaja accused of flagrant disobedience to the order of court delivered by Justice Akinkunmi Idowu, on December 10, 2024.
The motion for consequence to disobedience to court order followed the prayer of the claimant asking the court to restrain the law firm of Attorney General of Lagos state Lawal Pedro (SAN) & Associates from representing, Starmark Finance Company Limited.
Ademola, through his counsel Mr. Ayodele Osanyinlusi is asking the court to order the law firm of the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to withdraw its representation for the first defendant (Starmark Finance) in the suit on the ground of conflict of interest.
The Claimant also prayed the court to set aside the order for change of counsel of the first defendant (Starmark Finance company) to the Law firm of Lawal Pedro (SAN) & Associates granted on February 18 2025.
The court had earlier, granted an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the “defendants/Respondents whether by themselves, their servants, or agents or privies or otherwise, whosoever from trespassing, harassing, or going into the land or carrying out any activities whatsoever on the land, lying and situate at Plot 1, Block 4, Lekki Peninsula, Scheme 1, Admiralty Road, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State measuring 1, 147.124 square metres vide Deed of Assignment registered as No. 69, page 69, in Volume 2741 of the Land Registry, Ikeja, Lagos State, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.”
The court also granted: “An order for interlocutory injunction restraining the Defendants/Respondents whether by themselves, their servants, or agents or privies or otherwise, whosoever from using force, thugs, the Police and other agencies of the Government to harass, intimidate, break into the Claimant’s property lying and situate at Plot 1, Block 4, Lekki Peninsula, Scheme 1, Admiralty Road, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State measuring 1,147.124 square meters vide Deed of Assignment registered as No.69, Page 69, in Volume 2741 of the Land Registry, Ikeja, Lagos State, pending the hearing and determination of the Suit.”
The Claimant claimed that in spite of the subsistence of the court order, the defendants/ Respondents continued to use police and other spurious means to invade the land and disturb the owner and his workers from peaceful enjoyment of his property.
Dr Ademola’s lawyer stated, “Shockingly, despite the court’s injunction and the Director of Public Prosecution’s advice for prosecution of the alleged offenders, the land grabbers continue their attempts to seize the property.”
They have employed the service of Police several times, which we resisted, realizing that we have genuine documents and a court order over the said parcel of land.”
The matter has been adjourned till April 10, 2025 when the court would probably hear the Claimant/Applicant’s application for committal after the filing of Form 49, a committal proceeding against the Respondents.
It could be recalled that the medical doctor had cried out to the authorities concerned, including President Bola Tinubu, Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwoolu, the Inspector General of Police, calling for their urgent intervention following an alleged forceful and illegal planned takeover of his land in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
Ademola, who was working towards building a world-class specialist hospital for the benefit of Lagosians and Nigerians in Lagos, revealed that his investment and life are under serious threat due to the actions of the suspected land grabbers and land speculators who hell bent on taking over his legitimate property.
According to him, he legally purchased the land located on Admiralty Road, Lekki Phase 1, from Churchgate Nigeria Ltd in 2020, and duly perfected the title by obtaining the Governor’s consent and registering the land at the Bureau of Lands, Lagos State.
Ademola’s lawyer, Osanyinlusi, stated that his client secured the necessary building approvals from the Lagos State Building Control Agency and Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, apart from the Certificate of Occupancy issued in covering the land dated January, 16, 1990 which gave him the authority to commence the building of his hospital.