Skyview Properties Claims Ownership of Lekki Land, Cites C of O, Court Judgment

*Real estate company says Lagos High Court ruling supports its ownership claim

Skyview Properties, a Lagos-based real estate development company, has claimed ownership of a property at Plot 37, Block 77, Lekki Phase 1, Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1, citing a Certificate of Occupancy and a subsisting judgment of the Lagos State High Court.

The company, in a statement signed by Mr Daniel Itua on its behalf, was reacting to claims by one Alhaji Akeem Osuolale Ogunseye, who reportedly challenged its ownership of the property.

Skyview Properties described the claims as “frivolous, cheap blackmail and a campaign of calumny”, insisting that it legally acquired the property in 2008 from a previous purchaser who had bought it from the original owner, Mr Samuel Alao Ajibode.

According to the company, the previous purchaser had obtained a Certificate of Occupancy and a Deed of Conveyance executed by Ajibode in his favour.

It added that it subsequently acquired the property for adequate consideration and also paid Ajibode to execute another Deed of Conveyance in its favour.

The company further stated that the Lagos State High Court had delivered judgment in its favour, with Justice K. A. Jose issuing an order of perpetual injunction on June 30, 2025.

Quoting the court order, Skyview said it restrained the first defendant, his agents and privies from further trespassing on the property and “from further harassing the claimant (Skyview Properties), its servants, employees, agents and privies in respect of any matter relating to the property.”

Addressing reports involving the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mr Moshood Jimoh, the company maintained that the police officer’s intervention was limited to maintaining peace and directing the parties to await the court’s decision.

It said the police had earlier intervened after an incident in which Ogunseye and some individuals allegedly entered the property and engaged in violence against its workers.

According to the statement, Jimoh, who was then the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, advised the parties to await the court’s determination because the matter was already before the court.

“The recent campaign of blackmail against AIG Jimoh and Skyview is a mere attempt to whip up public sentiment by a person who has no right in law and in fact to the property in question but has resorted to self-help and the use of violence to scare our workers from the property. We will not succumb to the blackmail,” the company stated.

Skyview also dismissed concerns about the reported appeal against the High Court judgment, arguing that there was no stay of execution order from the Court of Appeal preventing it from proceeding with its development plans.

It said it returned to the site to commence development only after the judgment and was acting in line with an approved plan from the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Development.

The company further alleged that Ajibode had demanded N50 million after the original property transaction had been concluded, describing the demand as an alleged attempt at extortion.

It claimed that the dispute escalated after it declined the demand, adding that Ogunseye subsequently became involved in the ownership controversy.

Explaining its decision to approach the court and petition the police, Skyview said its actions demonstrated its commitment to due process.

“Our move to file a Court case and petition the Police Commissioner was a demonstration of the Company’s commitment to due process and judicial process instead of taking the law into our hands or resorting to self-help as the said Ogunseye did,” it said.

Reaffirming its position, the company maintained that the subsisting judgment remained in its favour and that no judicial order had restrained it from proceeding with its activities on the property.

It urged media organisations to verify claims before publication, warning against what it described as attempts to manipulate public opinion and undermine due process.

“Our Company is a responsible corporate body and will not do anything that will either break the law, compromise due process, or cause any breakdown of law and order,” the statement added.