NRC Allegedly Disobey Court Order Instructing Compensation of Displaced Ebute Metta landlords
Five Ebute Metta property owners have cried out over the alleged refusal of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to compensate them after forcefully taking over their residential properties for rail infrastructure development in 2018.
Five families who were displaced by the NRC, after the Corporation unlawfully acquired their houses at Adisa Estate, on Murtala Muhammed Way, Ebute Metta, had sought redress at the Federal High Court in Lagos in 2019.
They include HRM Oba Akinola Ovetade Akinrera, Alhaja Aisha Aminu Gwadabe, Alhaja Sadiat Abduiazeez, Mr. Justin Ajufo and Mr. Ayodele Joseph Ojo
The court on May 9, 2023 decided that the acquisition, which was for the purpose of constructing NRC’s station at Ebute Metta, did not follow due process of the law and awarded N10 million damages against the NRC for the unlawful acquisition.
In a consolidated ruling on the case (FHC/L/CS/1537/19), Justice Y Bogoro declared amongst others, “that the forceful seizure and takeover on 10 October 2018 of the applicants’ properties situate at Block E House 2 of Adisa Housing Estate, No 308B, Murtala Muhammed Way, Ebute Metta, Lagos by the NRC with more than 100 armed policemen without notice whatsoever is a violation of the applicants’ fundamental right to own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria under Section 43 and 44(1)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended (‘CFRN’) and Article 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 LFN 2004 (‘ACHPR’).”
The judge, therefore, ordered the “NRC to pay damages in the sum of N10 million for the infringement of the fundamental rights of the applicants.”
Commenting on the issue, an NRC source said a firm of estate surveyors and valuers, Dupe Longe & Associates was appointed by the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT), through CCECC, to carry out the enumeration and compensation of 19 affected claimants at Adisa Estate, Ebute-Metta.
“Out of the total number, five claimants initially refused to collect their compensation from the Consultant. However, two of these claimants have recently expressed their willingness to receive their entitlements, having possibly been discouraged earlier by their lawyer — a development which has now necessitated this letter,” the NRC source who’s competent in the matter said.
However, speaking with The Nigerian Economy on the matter, the counsel to the landlords, the principal partner, A.O Aponmade & Co, Barr. Akeem Aponmade said all that his clients wanted was adequate compensation, which they were entitled to, adding that his chamber had written a letter to NRC’s MD, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, to demand for compensation on behalf of each of his clients, as assessed by a valuer years ago.
In the letter titled, “Demand for compensation for unlawful seizure of property,” and dated October 8, 2025, which was received by the corporation on October 9, 2025, the counsel sought payment of a total sum of N154.25 million for the five families.
The letter read in part: “Our clients are the respective owners of landed properties situate at Block J House 1, Adisa Housing Estate, No. 3088, Murtala Muhammed Way, Ebute Metta, Lagos; Block E House 2, Adisa Housing Estate, No. 308B, Murtala Muhammed Way, Ebute Metta, Lagos; Biock F House 2, Adisa Housing Estate, No. 3088, Murtala Muhammed Way, Ebute Metta, Lagos; Block H House 1. Adisa Housing Estate, No. 3088, Murtala Muhammed Way, Ebute Metta, Lagos and Block D House 2, Adisa Housing Estate, No. 3088, Murtala Muhammed Way, Ebute Metta, Lagos. Sometime in October 2018, our clients’ properties were seized by your Corporation for the purpose of expanding its headquarters in Lagos, without any notice and without compensation.
“Our clients respectively filed Suit Nos. FHC/L/CS/1595/19, FHC/L/CS/1537/19, FHC/L/CS/1787/19, FHC/L/CS/1682/19 and FHC/L/CS/1481/19 at the Federal High Court in 2019. Hon. Justice Bogoro gave judgement in May 2023 and declared that the seizure of our clients’ properties by your Corporation was unlawful.
“Since judgements were given in the cases, which were defended by your Corporation, we are surprised that your Corporation has not made any attempt to pay the damages awarded against the Corporation for infringing the rights of our clients, and to correct the wrongs done to our clients by compensating them for the unlawful acquisition of their properties.
“We are therefore demanding for payment of the following amounts as compensation for respective properties of our clients:
HRM Oba Akinola Oyetade Akinrera – N34,000,000.00 (Thirty-four Million Naira Only)
Alhaja Aisha Aminu Gwadabe – N30,024,000.00 (Thirty million, twenty-four thousand naira only)
Alhaja Sadiat Abdulazeez – N33,317,900.00 (Thirty-three million, three hundred and seventeen thousand, nine hundred naira)
Mr. Justin Ajufo – N28,364,000.00 (Twenty-eight million, three hundred an thousand naira only)
Mr. Ayodele Joseph Ojo – N28,544,000.00 (Twenty-eight Million, Five Hundred and Forty-four Thousand Naira Only).”
Aponmade said that one month after receiving the letter, his chamber had yet to receive a reply from the NRC.
He said: “For NRC to refer to Dupe Longe after the judgements, it means that the same people who misadvised the former MD are hell bent on misleading Dr. Opeifa into infamy. The MD should ask his officials to show him if the enumeration and compensation carried out by Dupe Longe followed the due process as laid down by the law. This is what the court said was unlawful. Is it not the height of wickedness for these same officials to deride the two land owners whom they have impoverished?
“And why couldn’t they instruct their agent, Dupe Longe, to pay them right away, even the little amounts they assigned to these property owners? Are they saying they were right to unlawfully acquire their properties after the Federal High Court has declared that their action is unlawful? For God’s sake, this is a country governed by law and not a banana republic.”
