Ojukwu property dispute: Company writes IGP, seeks release of seized Ikoyi building

Ojukwu Transport Limited, OTL, a company founded by the late Sir Louis Philip Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has asked the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, to intervene in a dispute over a property located at No. 4 Macpherson Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos, which it said has been under the control of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police since May 1, 2025.

In a letter by its lawyer, Chief O. Ugolo, SAN, acting on the instruction of a director of the firm, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu Jnr., the company asked the police chief to review the circumstances surrounding the takeover of the property and facilitate its release to the company.

OTL stated that the premises were taken over on May 1, 2025, a public holiday, by officers said to be attached to the Zone 2 Command following a petition reportedly written on behalf of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

According to the company, individuals identified as legal representatives of the minister, alongside other persons and security personnel, were present when the police assumed control of the property.

The company explained that one of its directors later arrived at the premises and presented documents indicating that a warrant of execution had earlier been levied on the property and that OTL was in possession of it with the knowledge of both the Ikoyi Divisional Police Office and the Lagos State Police Command.

However, the company said its workers were asked to vacate the premises, after which the locks were reportedly changed.

The director was subsequently invited to the Zone 2 Command where he made a statement and was asked to see the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the command.

OTL further stated that the petition which prompted police action alleged that unidentified persons had taken over the property.

The company, however, maintained that it was lawfully occupying the premises based on a court judgment.

The firm said that about ten months after the takeover, the property remains under police control while, according to it, the matter is said to still be under investigation.

Providing background to the dispute, the company said a judgment delivered on June 1, 2018, by Justice Adedayo Oyebanji of the Lagos State High Court in Suit No. LD/794/2011 affirmed its ownership of several properties in Lagos, including the Ikoyi property.

OTL stated that following the judgment, a warrant of possession was executed with the participation of law enforcement authorities. It added that a certificate of completion of execution, known as Form O, was subsequently issued in July 2022.

The company, however, noted that further legal disputes later arose over the property following another judgment delivered in 2022 by Justice A. M. Lawal of the Lagos State High Court in Suit No.

LD/1539/2012, which granted possession and control of the Ikoyi property and four others to Mrs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu in her capacity as next friend to her sons.

OTL said it had filed an appeal against that judgment, maintaining that the certificate confirming its possession of the property remains valid pending the determination of the appeal or any order setting it aside.
The company also stated that several related proceedings were pending before the courts at the time the police assumed control of the property in May 2025.

OTL has therefore appealed to the IGP to review the matter and direct the release of the property to enable the company to resume work on the building.

According to the firm, the premises had been under police lock and key for a prolonged period and had deteriorated over time.

It added that it retains legal rights over the property unless and until a competent court decides otherwise, urging members of the public to exercise caution in any dealings concerning the premises while the dispute remains before the courts.