Amuwo family urges police to conclude FESTAC land probe

The Kuje Amuwo Chieftaincy Family is pressing Nigeria’s police authorities to finish an investigation into a long-running dispute over land around 6th and 7th Avenue in FESTAC Extension, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos.

In a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, the family said the Police Monitoring Unit in Lagos had approved the matter for investigation and assigned an inspector as the investigating officer. It said, however, that the probe had not been concluded and asked the police to expedite the process and communicate their findings to all parties.

The family alleged that the Lagos State Task Force on Land Matters had harassed and intimidated people and disrupted activities on the property. It further alleged that the task force was being used by the Federal Housing Authority and other interests connected to the land.

According to the petition, the dispute involves land acquired by the Federal Government in connection with the 1977 Festival of Arts and Culture, known as FESTAC. A charting exercise ordered by the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation found that 4.017 hectares fell within land acquired for the Federal Housing Authority, the family said. It maintained that the remaining portion belonged to the Kuje Amuwo Chieftaincy Family.

The family said the Federal Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development released the unused portion to it in December 2010. Later attempts by alleged trespassers to encroach on the property led to litigation. The Federal High Court in Lagos granted an interlocutory injunction on February 29, 2016, and later granted possession of the land on May 25, 2016, according to the family.

The case subsequently moved through the appellate courts before returning to the Lagos State High Court for retrial. It is now before Justice R.I.B. Adebiyi. The family said the parties had previously considered an out-of-court settlement and urged government agencies to avoid actions that could interfere with the proceedings.