By Kolawole Olayinka, Abeokuta
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Tuesday arraigned three defendants before the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, on a 13-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, illegal occupation, and forceful takeover of land.
The defendants are Julius Eshiet, Al-Trade Agencies Limited, and Alabi Collins, a director at the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
The disputed property is located at Block C, Plots 30 and 37, No. 6 (formerly No. 37A) Ajisafe Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
According to court filings dated September 1, 2025, the case stemmed from a petition filed on July 1, 2024, by Viagem Property and Investment Limited. The company accused the defendants and one Yemi Kazeem Balogun of land grabbing, malicious damage, and document forgery.
Viagem stated that the 9,425-square-yard property had passed through lawful ownership for decades. It was first leased in 1961 by the Western Region Government to Nigerian Enamelware Company, later assigned in 1993 to Western Metal Products Company Limited (WEMPCO), and finally sold in 2019 to Viagem, which remained in peaceful possession until 2021.
The petition alleged that in 2021, the defendants, aided by armed thugs and individuals posing as police officers, forcibly evicted Viagem’s staff from the property. This, the company argued, contravened the Lagos State Properties Protection Law of 2016.
Operatives of the Lagos State Task Force later marked the site as “under investigation.” However, Viagem alleged that the defendants’ agents removed and destroyed the signpost.
During investigations, Alabi Collins claimed that the land belonged to the Federal Government. He cited a 1946 Gazette and an October 16, 2021, allocation of the land to Al-Trade Agencies. Supporting documents included a 2003 application form, a lease offer from the same year, and a Certificate of Occupancy purportedly signed by former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.
Police investigators, however, uncovered records showing that WEMPCO, and later Viagem, consistently paid land use charges to the Lagos State Government. They also reported finding no evidence of federal ownership claims before the defendants’ assertion in 2021.
At the Tuesday session before Justice Idowu of High Court 55, Ikeja, prosecuting counsel Rotshang Dimka from the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, outlined the charges.
Justice Idowu adjourned the matter to Friday, September 12, 2025, for further hearing.
While Julius Eshiet was remanded at the Lagos State Police Command, counsel to Alabi Collins requested an adjournment on medical grounds.
