The Federal High Court in Lagos has struck out a suit filed by WinHomes Estate Global Services Limited and Ifeoma Okengwu over alleged encroachment on their Okun-Ajah land by the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
Justice Akintayo Aluko ruled that the case was essentially a land dispute and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court. He held that matters relating to land ownership, trespass and statutory rights of occupancy fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Lagos State High Court.
The judge also stated that WinHomes lacked the legal standing to sue after admitting it had sold most of the disputed land to third parties. He added that the suit disclosed no reasonable cause of action and that the Minister of Works and the Controller of Works, Lagos, named as defendants, were not juristic persons that could be sued.
WinHomes had accused the federal government of demolishing structures and diverting the highway through its 18.8-hectare estate without due process. The Ministry of Works said only an unauthorised structure was removed after compensation was offered, insisting the estate’s land acquisition and documentation were questionable.
The dispute had earlier led WinHomes to petition President Bola Tinubu, claiming that Minister of Works David Umahi acted unlawfully and jeopardised a $250 million diaspora-backed project. Diaspora investors also alleged that demolitions were carried out without notice.
