Police Drag Federal Housing Official, Al-Trade Agencies To Court For Alleged Land Forgery And Forceful Eviction

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has arraigned Julius Eshiet, Al-Trade Agencies Limited, and Alabi Collins of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development before the Lagos State High Court over a 13-count charge of alleged forgery, illegal occupation, and forceful takeover of land.

The disputed property, located at Block C, Plots 30 and 37, Ajisafe Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, is at the centre of a legal tussle between the defendants and Viagem Property and Investment Limited, which lodged a petition on July 1, 2024.

Prosecuting counsel Rotshang Dimka of the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, said the case arose after Viagem accused the defendants, including one Yemi Kazeem Balogun, of land grabbing, malicious damage, and forgery.

According to Viagem, the 9,425-square-yard property had been lawfully transferred over decades: initially leased in 1961 by the Western Region Government to Nigerian Enamelware Company, later assigned to Western Metal Products Company Limited (WEMPCO) in 1993, and finally sold to Viagem in 2019, which maintained peaceful possession until 2021.

The prosecution alleged that in 2021, the defendants, supported by armed thugs and individuals claiming to be police officers, forcibly evicted Viagem’s officials, violating the Lagos State Properties Protection Law, 2016. Investigators also noted that Lagos State Task Force operatives marked the site “under investigation,” but the defendants’ agents allegedly destroyed the signpost.

During investigations, Alabi Collins, a director in the Federal Ministry of Housing, claimed the land was federal property, citing a 1946 Gazette and an October 16, 2021, allocation to Al-Trade Agencies. Documents presented included a 2003 application form, a 2003 lease offer, and a Certificate of Occupancy allegedly signed by former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola.

Police investigators, however, found records showing WEMPCO and later Viagem consistently paid land use charges to the Lagos State Government, with no evidence of prior federal ownership before the defendants’ claims in 2021.

Justice Idowu of High Court 55, Ikeja, adjourned the matter to Friday, September 12, 2025, for further hearing.