Court to Hear Contempt Suit Against LSDPC Officials Jan 17

Justice Yellim Bogoro, of the Federal High Court in Lagos, on Thursday, fixed further hearing of the contempt proceedings application filed against some officials of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation by three property owners in the state till January 17, 2024.

The LSDPC officials cited for the alleged contempt are Mr. Ayodeji Joseph and Adedamola Adepegba who are both LSDPC’s Managing Director and the Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, the company’s Executive Director, Mr Olusodo, and the Deputy General Manager/Solicitor, LSDPC, Olubusola Omotayo Akinbiyi.

Others cited for contempt in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/805/2023 are: the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Registrar of Titles, Land Bureau, Lagos State, and Federal Land Registry, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The alleged contemnors were brought before the court by Owodipo Shonowo, Owokemi Shonowo, and Owodolapo Shonowo, who are the owners of a landed property.

The alleged contemnors were said to have acted in disobedience to orders of Justice Bogoro, which restrained them, their privies, agents and/or their assigns, and all other officers or servants under their control from interfering, selling, entering, acquiring, and dealing with or trespassing into the property at Plot 11 Akinola Martins Close, South-West, Ikoyi, Lagos State (now known as No. 1a & 1b Okunola Martins Close, South West ikoyi, Lagos) pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The contemnors, apart from tampering with the land, were also alleged to have sold the property despite the subsisting order of the court.

The development compelled the applicants to write to the defendants on the need to uphold the order of the court and stop further trespass on the property.

Following the alleged disobedience to the orders of the court, the three applicants through their lawyer, Mr. Adetunji Adedoyin-Adeniyi, filed Form 48 and Form 49 against the alleged contemnors and served it on them.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, counsel for the applicants, Adetunji-Adedoyin, informed the court that the court’s business for the day was for hearing the committal proceedings against all the alleged contemnors, having been served with the hearing notice.

He also told the court that the first contemnor just served him in court with his client’s counter affidavit to the contempt suit.

Counsel for the first contemnor, Tope Kolawole, told the court that he has filed his client’s preliminary objection to the suit and the same has been served on the plaintiffs’ lawyer, adding that his client, LSPDC has already joined issues with the contemptmor.

Other alleged contemnors through their lawyers, which included, Kehinde Otiyemi, for Lagos State Ministry of Justice, equally told the court that they were yet to file their processes and asked the court for a short date.

Consequently, Justice Bogoro, adjourned the matter till January 17, 2024, for the hearing of the preliminary objection to the contempt suit.