By Femi Akinola
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has thrown out Lagos State Government’s application to interprete 12 year old judgement in Magodo land dispute ruling.
The apex court in the land, however, advised the state government and the Shangisha landlords to resolve their land dispute amicably, stating that it lacks the power to interprete the judgement it gave 12 years ago.
The judgement on the issue delivered by the Supreme Court on February 10, 2012, in Suit No. SC1/2/2002, ordered Lagos State Government to allocate 549 plots of land to the landlords. The judgement, the court said, was unambiguous.
Amidst the crisis that erupted in Magodo area of Lagos two years ago when the landlords, led by Chief Adeyiga (Judgement Creditors), attempted to enforce the 12 year old Supreme Court Judgement, Lagos State Government, sometimes in February 2022, returned to the apex court to seek, among others, the relief and order to vary or review its judgement of February 10, 2012.
The 5-man panel, led by Justice Iyang Okoro of the Supreme Court, recently, told Aare Muyiwa Akinboro, SAN, and Olumide Sofowora, SAN, and Deji Fasusi for Shangisha landlords that the court hd no power to do what it was being asked to do and pointedly told both parties in the matter to accept their fate as erlier decided by the court.
Consequently, the court advised all parties in the land dispute to go back and resolve the matter amicably.
Legal dispute over Magodo land started about 38 years ago when the Lagos State Government acquired the land in thearea and demolished structures, stating that it needed the expanse of land for public use.
But, soon after the acquisition and displacement of the original occupants of the land, the government acquired land was not used for public interest as stated by the government but allotted it to individuals.
The allottees started developing privtate homes and this prompted the displaced owners to approach Lagos High Court on behalf of the entire landlords whose list was attached n their suit against the state government.
The landlords later defeated the government which was directed to, as a matter of first priority, allocate 549 plots of land to the Association of landlords and its members as contained in their list.
However, the state government was not satisfied with the High Court Ruling on the matter and moved to Appeal Court where the Lower Court’s judgement was upheld.
The matter eventually got to the Supreme Court where the judgement was also upheld against the state government, compelling it to allocate 549 plots of land to the aggrieved landlords in the area.