By Bertram Nwannekanma and Victor Gbonegun
Residents of Banana Island, Lagos, have lamented non-adherence to a court order barring the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, their servants, agents, and privies from demolishing the estate’s Boat Club House.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, had on March 18, restrained the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, their servants, agents and privies from demolishing the property owned by Banana Island, Lagos residents.
The property is the estate’s Boat club house situated at OT QC, which the ministry wants to demolish to pave way for the construction of an access road to an upcoming estate to be known as Apple Island.
The court injunction was sequel to a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Banana Island Property Owners/Residents Association against the Attorney-General Of The Federation, Minister of Housing and Urban Development and Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
In the suit, the plaintiffs prayed to the court to stop the defendants from demolishing the property. The court, upon reading through the application, it’s affidavit of 25 paragraphs deposed to by Chief Ugo Nnabuife, attached exhibits and a written address signed by Okechukwu Tagboo Dike, ordered the defendants to stay action.
The order restrains the AGF, the minister, the ministry, their servants, agents or privies from taking any action in respect of the Plaintiffs’ Boat Club House, as stated in their letter of February 28, 2025, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
The court also issued an interim order that the status quo in respect of the Plaintiffs’ Boat ClubHouse, as at the date the action was filed, be maintained by parties, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
Furthermore, the court after hearing O. Adejuyigbe (SAN) with M. O. Afolabi, counsel for the plaintiff/applicant, and having carefully considered the application and submissions of the counsel, also ordered that the status quo in respect of the clubhouse be maintained by the parties, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
However, residents of the estate said they were rattled that despite these court orders and interim injunctions, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development officials still invaded the estate Tuesday morning to demolish the clubhouse.
“You needed to be here early enough to see the harassment and intimidation which these officials subjected our residents to this morning,” a resident of the estate who did not want his name mentioned said. He lamented non-adherence to court orders, especially from the government and its agencies.
“This matter is in court and there is an interim injunction restraining these people from demolishing our property, yet they were here in their numbers to carry out the demolition. What do you call a thing like this?” he queried.
In their bid to maintain peace in the estate, the management blocked the entrance to the estate, such that there was neither entry nor exit from the estate for several hours until the invading ministry officials left.
The situation resulted in a chaotic traffic snarl from the estate entrance and adjoining locations as vehicular movement was altered. Many visitors and residents in the area resorted to trekking, starting from the Gerard Road axis into the estate.
In a Banana Island Property Owners & Residents Association letter, Lagos (BIPORAL), sighted by The Guardian, alerted residents of the presence of government officials to demolish the clubhouse.
The letter by the estate management reads:” Dear residents: This is to inform you that officials from the Federal Ministry of Housing are currently in the estate and are in the process of demolishing the clubhouse building.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and will provide further updates shortly.”
