Court Voids FG’s Acquisition of 292 Hectares of Ancestral Land, Awards N300m Damages
Wale Igbintade
A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has nullified the Federal Government’s acquisition of over 292 hectares of ancestral land belonging to the Onigbanko community in Irede, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, holding that the exercise violated due process and constitutional safeguards.
In a landmark judgment delivered by Justice Abdulfattah Lawal, the court held that the acquisition failed to comply with the legal requirements governing compulsory acquisition of land, including the service of statutory notices, payment of compensation, and the requirement that such acquisition must be for a genuine public purpose.
The court also awarded the Onigbanko community N300 million in damages for trespass and unlawful occupation of the land, in addition to N12 million as costs.
