The prominent St. Mathew Daniel Family of Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State has accused the Nigerian Army of seizing and renting out their land gazetted by the Federal Government with no. 117. Vol. 100 dated 26th December 2013.
Mr. Agboola Anjou, the chairman of Grand Children of St. Mathew Daniel Family, at a press conference on behalf of his entire clan in Lagos, lamented the refusal of the military arm to vacate the family land near the 56 Signal Command, Nigerian Army, Mile 2, Ojo Road, Ajegunle, Lagos in defiance to a court judgment.
Anjou, who spoke alongside the family lawyer, Barrister Remi Atoyebi of Matanmi Chamber, stated that the world should know, “the level of impunity going on in Nigeria under the Muhammadu Buhari led administration that claims to be waging war against sleaze, gross misconduct and impunity”
He said: “The 58-hectare land is a subject of Lagos State High Court decision. After that judgment, which ordered the Army to relinquish the land, they decided to fence off 58 acres illegally. The court also ordered the army to pay our family compensation of the sum of twenty million naira (N20 million) in 1993 for illegally encroaching on the Land which they have paid.
“However, they fenced an extra 58 acres and the court ordered them to give it back to the family. The army has refused to return it. At a point, they released the land to us which Barrister Makun Alabi, one of the family’s grandchildren signed for, but the army still did not vacate the land up till this moment.
“The land is now a haven of bunkering, the NNPC pipeline that passes beside the land is now being used to scoop fuel, sabotaging the economy of Nigeria. Army rented the land to a relation of a former Senator in Lagos State, Adeline Mamora and One Alhaji Success from Kwara state to be used as cover for oil bunkering. Over forty trailers are parked on the land by oil barons who pay less than N10million daily to some top Army officers.”
According to him, the land measuring 627 hectares was given to the St. Mathew Daniel Family by the Supreme Court in a judgment delivered on Friday, the 28th of February, 1986 by Justice Dahunsi Olugbemi Coker in a suit number SC.80/1984 and unanimously adopted by other members of the panel: Justice Anthony Nnanezie Aniagolu, Justice Augustine Nnamani, Justice Mohammed Uwais, Justice Adolphus Godwin Karibi-whyte, Justice SaiduKawu and Chukwudigu Oputa.
Anjou, recalled that after the verdict, the family took over the land and divided into two blocks, A and B.
His words: “A was divided into 12 covering the entire children of the late patriarch, Chief St. Mathew Daniel and B was divided into twelve – all shared among the children For block A, it was about 11 acres per children while B was divided into 36-acre Per children.
“After the children shared the land among themselves, however, the Authority of the Nigerian Army through the 56 Signal Command at Mile 2, Ojo Road, Lagos, encroached into about 58 acres and fenced it amongst the land legally acquired by them leading to the family dragging the Army Authority to Court before Justice A. Ade Alabi of Lagos High Court sitting at Ikeja in 1991.
“The court action against the Army with number LD/2659/91 which dragged for two years was finally decided in favour the St. Daniel Family on Wednesday 1st September 1993. The case, filed by one Chief Francisca Adeyanju – St. Mathew Daniel on behalf of the St. Mathew Daniel with the Nigerian Army, the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Army Staff, the Minister of Works and Housing and the Attorney General of the Federation as Respondents.
“In her ruling ordering the Army to vacate the land, Justice Ade Alabi, aside lampooning the Army for unlawfully taking possession of lands belonging to civilians, awarded cost of N2,000 against the Respondents.
“The court also ordered the authority of the Nigerian Army to pay the sum of twenty million, four hundred thousand naira only (N20,400, 000) as fine to the St. Mathew Daniel Family for illegally encroaching the Family land, almost a decade before the verdict.
“The fine, a total of twenty one million, two hundred an ninety six thousand, six hundred and ninety six naira (N21,296,696) debt was paid by the Central Bank of Nigeria to the family through their lawyer, Mr. Tunde Seriki of Tunde Seriki & Co into a United Bank of Africa (UBA) Account Number 201-18454-7 on 15th September 1996.
“However, after several appeals, the authority of the Nigerian Army, in the presence of the public and the press, handed over the 58.228 acres of land were handed over to Barrister Mako Alabi-St Mathew Daniels by Major General S.E Asemota, the then Commandant, Nigerian Army Signals, Ojo, Lagos 30th November, 2011.
“Later, the authority of the Nigerian Army filed a suit with No. CA/L/798M/10 at Lagos division of the Court of Appeal against the 1993 judgment of Justice Ade Alabi of the Lagos State High Court. However, the Army reversed, filed a notice dated 6th on May 2015 before the court presided over by Hon. Justice J.S Ikyegh to discountenance from the appeal and the case was subsequently struck out without objection from the respondents’ Lawyer, Atoyebi.”
The family said to prove their commitment to peace, the family in an undertaking signed by Mr. Agbola Anjou with the Nigerian Army on 14th December 2018, promised never to undergo or institute further court actions against the authority.
They added that after failing to get the Nigerian Army to vacate the land, the St. Mathew Daniel Family in a letter dated 31st May, 2019 written by Mr. Agbola Anjou and another letter dated 19th July 2018, written by their Lawyers, F.B.A Nabena and Idaewor Alaoye (Mrs) of Shammah Chambers, appealed to the immediate past Minister of Defense, Brigader Mansur Dan Alli (rtd.) to intervene.
Alli in his response to the letter which was personally delivered to him by Anjou, promised to ensure the family gets justice.
Acting Director Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, did not pick calls to his number or reply text message requesting an official position on the matter as at press time.
