By DELE ALABI, Lagos
A fresh controversy has erupted at the Ikeja Division of the High Court following the sudden withdrawal of a land dispute case by the Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba, without prior notice to the parties involved.
The unexpected development occurred on Wednesday, April 15, during proceedings before Justice Akin Savage of the Lands Division. At the commencement of the sitting, the judge informed counsel that the Chief Judge had requested the case file but gave no reason for the action.
The suit, filed by Nasco Town Limited against Mr. Abiodun Ariori, the family of Chief Michael Mojisola Cole, and others, was the first matter slated for hearing that day. Leading counsel for the claimant, Anthony George-Ikoli, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Attorney General of Bayelsa State, was present in court.
Proceedings took an unusual turn when the court registrar approached the bench and whispered to the judge. Justice Savage subsequently announced that the case file had been recalled by the Chief Judge and directed parties to await further communication on whether the matter would be returned or reassigned.
A visibly concerned George-Ikoli sought clarification, but the court stated it had no information on the reasons behind the directive, emphasizing that the Chief Judge possesses the authority to call for any case file at any time.
Dissatisfied with the lack of explanation, George-Ikoli filed a petition to the Chief Judge through his counsel, Ms. Ayotunde Shabi. The petition highlighted that the case, instituted in 2020, had barely progressed beyond pre-trial stages and warned that the unexplained withdrawal had raised concerns about transparency and fairness in the judicial process.
In a separate petition, Nasco Town Limited, through its Executive Coordinator, Dr. Mustapha Sulaiman, alleged possible external interference. The company claimed the defendants appeared to have prior knowledge of the file’s withdrawal, while the claimant was left uninformed and unable to respond to any alleged complaints prompting the action.
Nasco maintained that it has been in peaceful possession of the disputed land since 1978 under a Federal Government lease, adding that it had undertaken significant development, including granting a sublease to Michelin Tyres Limited in 1981 and initiating industrial projects after securing Free Trade Zone status.
The company alleged that its possession was disrupted in 2018 when Mr. Ariori and members of the Cole family reportedly invaded the land with armed security operatives, relying on a 1997 consent judgment to which Nasco was not a party.
According to the claimant, investigations indicate that the said judgment had already been executed on a different parcel of land during the lifetime of the late Chief Cole, who, it insisted, never laid claim to the disputed property.
Nasco further recounted prolonged delays in the matter, including difficulties in serving the defendants and repeated adjournments. It described the latest development as troubling, warning that it could undermine confidence in the judicial process, especially amid claims linking one of the defendants to influential state officials.
With both petitions now before the Chief Judge, attention has shifted to his response, which observers say will be critical in determining not only the direction of the case but also public trust in the administration of justice in Lagos.
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