Court adjourns Owode Onirin market land dispute to March 17
Justice Akintunde Savage of an Ikeja High Court has adjourned further proceedings in a land dispute between members of the International Motor Spare Parts market, Owode Onirin, Somolu and Kosofe
Justice Akintunde Savage of an Ikeja High Court has adjourned further proceedings in a land dispute between members of the International Motor Spare Parts market, Owode Onirin, Somolu and Kosofe local governments of Lagos State to March 17, this year.
The adjournment was sequel to the failure of the lawyer to the judgment creditors to regularize his court papers before the court.
At the resumed hearing yesterday, counsel to the applicants urged the court to consider their application, arguing that the association has been in longstanding occupation of the disputed parcel of land and has never been sued or joined in any prior court action concerning the property.
However, the court stated the application of the applicant’s can only be considered if the judgment-creditors have regularise their processes.
The court, therefore, awarded N25,000 cost against the judgment creditors while it adjourned the matter to March 17 for further proceedings.
Read Also: Court jails two for stealing N5m corn in Ekiti
The applicants, through their counsel, Femi Falana (SAN), maintained that their interest in the land cannot be effectively determined in their absence, hence the present application before the court.
They argued that they were not joined in the main suit where judgment was delivered which led to the demolition of their shops and businesses.
According to court documents, the association also contended that the land it occupies never belonged to Somolu Local Government, Kosofe Local Government, or Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area, despite that the said authorities have allegedly continued to collect development and revenue levies from its members over the years.
The applicants further told the court that it recently came to their notice that the Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area allegedly processed a Certificate of Occupancy over the same parcel of land without their knowledge, a development they described as surreptitious.
Counsel appearing in the matter include Tijani Hussain Olatomiwa for the judgment creditor/respondent, Temilolu Adamolekun for the judgment debtors/respondents, while the applicants who seek to be joined in the suit are represented by Femi Falana, SAN.
After listening to submissions, the court adjourned the matter to March 17, for further proceedings.
