Land grabbing: IGP drags three to Court for alleged forgery, illegal occupation

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has taken the trio of Julius Eshiet, Al-Trade Agencies Limited, and Alabi Collins of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development before the Lagos State High Court on a 13-count charge of alleged forgery, illegal occupation and forceful takeover of land.

The disputed property is located at Block C, Plots 30 and 37, also known as No. 6 (formerly No. 37A), Ajisafe Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

According to court filings dated September 1, 2025, prosecuting counsel, Rotshang Dimka of the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, said the case followed a July 1, 2024 petition by Viagem Property and Investment Limited.

The company accused Al-Trade Agencies, Julius Eshiet, and one Yemi Kazeem Balogun of land grabbing, malicious damage and document forgery.

Viagem stated that the 9,425-square-yard property had been lawfully transferred over decades: first leased in 1961 by the Western Region Government to Nigerian Enamelware Company; later assigned to Western Metal Products Company Limited (WEMPCO) in 1993; and finally sold in 2019 to Viagem, which enjoyed peaceful possession until 2021.

The petition alleged that in 2021, the defendants, backed by armed thugs and individuals claiming to be police officers, forcibly evicted Viagem’s officials, violating the Lagos State Properties Protection Law, 2016. Lagos State Task Force operatives later marked the site as “under investigation,” but the defendants’ agents allegedly destroyed the signpost.

During investigations, Alabi Collins, a director in the Federal Ministry of Housing, claimed the land was federal property, citing a 1946 Gazette and an October 16, 2021, allocation to Al-Trade Agencies. Documents presented included a 2003 application form, a 2003 lease offer, and a Certificate of Occupancy allegedly signed by former Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola.

However, police investigators found records showing that WEMPCO and later Viagem consistently paid land use charges to the Lagos State Government. No evidence was found of prior federal ownership before the defendants’ claims in 2021.

Justice Idowu of High Court 55, Ikeja, adjourned the matter to Friday, September 12, 2025, for further hearing.

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