Lagos goes to Supreme Court over settlement of Magodo land ruling

The Lagos State Government on Friday said it had approached the Supreme Court for clarification on the settlement of a judgment delivered by the apex court on the ownership of the Shangisha/Magodo land.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, in a statement on Friday, said there was a serious division among the judgment creditors, representatives of the Shangisha Landlords Association, as to who had the right to represent the association.

In the statement, titled, ‘Update on settlement of Supreme Court judgment on Shangisha/Magodo,’ Omotoso said following the intervention of the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, officials of the state government and representatives of the association held a series of meetings.

He added that both parties explored the possibility of complying with the court judgment.

Omotoso said, “At the said meetings two issues arose: There was a serious division among the judgment creditors as to who controlled or had the right to represent the association; and the demand by the judgment creditors that a single global Certificate of Occupancy should be issued in the name of the association as opposed to the position of the state government that each of the 549 members of the association would be given allotment letters individually.

“Given the sharp divide between the two factions of the judgment creditors on who has authority to represent the association and the disagreement regarding whom the Certificate of Occupancy should be issued (collectively or individually), the state government has approached the Supreme Court to seek further directives and clarifications on both issues. The judgment creditors have been served with the application.

“The state government, however, wishes to reiterate its commitment to complying with the judgment of the Supreme Court once these two issues are resolved.”

– The Punch