A Lagos-based real estate development company, Skyview Properties Limited, has formally requested armed police protection to resume construction activities on a disputed piece of land located in the Lekki area of Lagos State. The formal appeal was communicated through a legal letter addressed to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Lagos, following an earlier Lagos State High Court ruling that upheld the firm's legal interest in the property.
The application, dated 21 October and signed by Ifeoluwa Adebambo of C. O. Toyin Pinheiro & Co., stated that the company intended to return to the site at Plot 37, Block 77, Lekki Peninsula Scheme I. Representatives of the firm noted that they anticipated potential resistance or interference at the location and offered to provide the necessary logistical support for the deployed security personnel.
What led to the police protection request?
The security appeal follows a judicial verdict delivered on 30 June 2025 by Justice K. A. Jose. In that ruling, the court dismissed a counter-claim from the initial landowner, Samuel Ajibode, and held that Skyview had validly acquired the 1,631.32-square-metre residential property through a properly registered deed of assignment.
The court subsequently ordered Mr. Ajibode and his agents to stay away from the land and awarded N10 million in general damages alongside N2 million in legal costs against him. Skyview maintained that it returned to the site after the judgment to continue development, only to face fresh controversies involving competing claims and counter-petitions.
What are the counter-allegations against the police?
In response to the developments, a businessman named Akeem Ogunseye petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, and the National Assembly, accusing the Zone 2 AIG, Jimoh Moshood, and other officers of abuse of office and illegal demolition.
Mr. Ogunseye, identifying himself as a party with interests acquired through Mr. Ajibode, claimed that armed officers and heavy machinery were deployed to pull down existing structures on the land in violation of an active injunction from the Court of Appeal. Through his lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, the petitioner asked the authorities to investigate the incident and discipline any officers found culpable.
How has the development company responded?
Skyview dismissed the allegations as frivolous blackmail and a deliberate campaign of calumny. The firm insisted that the lower court judgement remains valid and enforceable, noting that neither Mr. Ajibode nor Mr. Ogunseye had secured a formal stay of execution to halt the enforcement of the ruling.
According to the company, Mr. Moshood intervened strictly to preserve public peace and warned individuals against taking the law into their own hands while legal proceedings were ongoing. The company maintained that its acquisition of the Lekki property complied fully with extant legal and regulatory procedures, backed by verified documentation and forensic reports accepted during the state high court trial.