Africa-Press – Nigeria. Property owners in Ebute-Metta, Lagos State, are pressing the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, to compensate them for the forceful takeover of their homes for rail infrastructure development in 2018.
Five families displaced from Adisa Estate, located along Murtala Muhammed Way, Ebute-Metta, had approached the Federal High Court in Lagos in 2019 seeking redress.
The affected homeowners are Oba Akinola Ovetade Akinrera, Alhaja Aisha Aminu Gwadabe, Alhaja Sadiat Abduiazeez, Mr Justin Ajufo, and Mr Ayodele Joseph Ojo.
In a judgment delivered on May 9, 2023, Justice Y. Bogoro ruled that the NRC’s acquisition of the properties for the construction of its Ebute-Metta station violated due process.
The court awarded N10 million in damages for the unlawful seizure.
The judge noted that on October 10, 2018, NRC officials, supported by over 100 armed policemen, took control of the houses without prior notice, infringing the applicants’ constitutional rights under Sections 43 and 44(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
While the Federal Ministry of Transportation, through the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC, had appointed Dupe Longe and Associates to enumerate and compensate 19 affected property owners, five of the claimants initially refused to accept their entitlements.
NRC spokesperson, Adeyinka Aderibigbe stated that two of the five homeowners have since shown willingness to receive their compensation.
However, the homeowners’ legal representative, Akeem Aponmade of A.O Aponmade and Co., insisted that his clients are seeking the full compensation they are due.
In a letter dated October 8, 2025, and received by NRC on October 9, 2025, the counsel formally demanded payment of N154.25 million on behalf of the five families, based on valuations conducted years earlier.
“Their demand is straightforward, they are entitled to adequate compensation for the unlawful seizure of their property,” Aponmade said, emphasizing that the matter had been properly assessed by a certified valuer.
The case highlights ongoing challenges in balancing infrastructure development with property rights, as affected citizens continue to seek justice and fair restitution for the disruption caused by government projects.
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