Alleged Land Grabbing: Oil Firm Threatens to Sue Sanwo-Olu’s Aide

Wale Igbintade

An oil firm, World Oil Industries Limited (WOIL), has threatened to drag an aide of governor of Lagos State on Transportation and the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Sola Giwa, to court for allegedly attempting to illegally take over its land located around the Ikate Elegushi area of Lagos State.

This threat is contained in a pre-action notice sent to the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, on behalf of WOIL. 

In the notice that was signed by one of the lawyers, Kehinde Adeyemi, the firm accused Giwa and some employees of the Ministry of encroaching on its land and allegedly allocating it to Sawgrass Multi Solutions Nigeria Limited as a car lot.

WOIL also alleged that one Mr. Segun Alawaye, on December 29, 2023, invaded the land in the company of some security agents to evict World Oil Petrol forcefully.

The oil firm also alleged that Giwa had earlier written a notice to quit to World Oil and erected a sign board stating that the Lagos State Ministry of Transport owns the land.

It is, therefore, calling on the commissioner to intervene or it would be left with another option to institute a suit against the ministry and others involved in the alleged land grab.

The letter reads: “Our client is the legal and beneficial owner of all the land at Block 44 Lekki Epe Expressway, Lekki, Lagos. It is upon this described address that our client built and operates a World oil filling station and has since been in undisturbed possession of the said land.

“On the second day of December 2023, our client observed an unprecedented encroachment on a portion of the land owned and controlled by our client. Our client would later be aware that the allocation was approved by the Ministry of Transportation to Sawgrass Multi Solutions Nig. Limited as a car lot.

“This wrongful allocation of our clients’ land to another business, if allowed, will cause a drastic disservice to our client’s business. It will, without any doubt, limit the daily sales of all fuel products and disturbingly restrain motorists from quickly accessing the filing station to purchase fuel.

“We are, therefore, constrained to write you to reverse this wrongful allocation and brazen encroachment of our clients’ land by Sawgrass Multi Solutions Limited as it is strange and an attempt to upset the peaceful usage and control of the land by our client.

“Please be advised that if no response is given within seven days of your receipt of this letter, we shall, without further recourse to you, take necessary legal steps against the ministry and other necessary parties.”