Okobaba community sues Lagos over proposed eviction

Stakeholders of the Okobaba Foreshore in Ebute-Metta, Lagos have filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Lagos challenging the alleged plan by the Lagos State government to evict them to an uncompleted location in Agbowa area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.

The stakeholders comprising all sawyers, timber dealers, towing vessel owners and others from the Okobaba Street Foreshore, through their counsel, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa is praying the court to halt the proposed action.

The plaintiffs are seeking the court’s declaration that the Lagos State government has no authority over any land situate and being within the 100 metres of all declared navigable inland waterways, such as the Lagos Lagoon, which is under the authority and jurisdiction of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).

“The stakeholders have been paying their regular dues and permit licenses to the said NIWA for many years now”, they claimed.

They are contending that the Lagos State government is without legal powers to interfere in their possession and occupation of the Okobaba Street Foreshore, to eject them forcefully and to transfer the land to developers and foreign investors who have no history of any contribution to the development of the area.

In the case marked as FHC/L/CS/507/2016, the plaintiffs said it’s only NIWA that has power over their location and are therefore praying for a declaration that the defendants are not entitled to eject, remove, drive away, or in any other manner disturb or hinder their possession of Abeokuta Street (Okobaba) Foreshore of the Lagos Lagoon among other reliefs.

Apart from filing an application for an order of interlocutory injunction to restrain the Lagos State Government from forcefully ejecting them from the Okobaba Foreshore, the plaintiffs are praying for an injunction restraining the defendants and their agents from ejecting or dispossessing them of the location.