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A fresh controversy has erupted over the protracted Shangisha land dispute, as 546 judgment creditors have accused the Lagos State Government of issuing a global Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) covering 549 plots of land to Chief Adebayo Adeyiga and two other individuals, despite two substantive appeals pending before the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division.
The aggrieved landowners alleged that the state government took an administrative decision capable of undermining their proprietary interests and prejudicing ongoing appellate proceedings arising from the implementation of the Supreme Court’s 2012 judgment in the Shangisha Landlords Association dispute.
They also questioned the role of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN, alleging that the issuance of the disputed title contradicted his earlier position that administrative action on the allocation had been suspended.
The landowners maintained that the 549 plots were intended for the benefit of the 546 judgment creditors and should not have been vested in the names of three individuals to the exclusion of the other beneficiaries.
The dispute dates back to the Supreme Court’s 2012 judgment concerning the Shangisha Landlords Association, following which the judgment creditors were expected to work with the Lagos State Government to establish an appropriate framework for implementing the decision.
However, disagreements reportedly emerged during subsequent negotiations when Adeyiga allegedly demanded that all 549 plots be allocated exclusively in his name and those of two associates.
The proposal was opposed by the majority of the judgment creditors, who insisted that individual Certificates of Occupancy should be issued to the respective beneficiaries or, alternatively, that the allocation should be made in the name of the Registered Trustees of the Shangisha Landlords Association for equitable distribution among bona fide members.
The individual landowners reportedly communicated their position directly to the Land Use and Allocation Committee, insisting on separate allocations. They also appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene in the matter.
Efforts to resolve the disagreement reportedly broke down during the administration of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, with the dispute subsequently generating parallel legal proceedings that have continued under the present administration.
Two appeals arising from the disagreement are currently pending before the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division.
The first, Appeal No. CA/L/1005M/2018, Chief Adebayo Adeyiga & Ors v. Military Governor of Lagos State & Ors, arose from an interlocutory ruling of the High Court restricting Adeyiga’s representation of the 549 judgment creditors to six members.
Adeyiga, who had initially purported to represent all the beneficiaries, reportedly challenged the restriction at the appellate court. The appeal remains pending.
The second appeal, CA/LAG/CV/117/2026, Mrs Ogunsola Dawodu & Ors v. The Executive Governor of Lagos State & Anor, challenges the decision of Justice Lawal Alebiosu, who declined to order individual allocations or grant title to the Registered Trustees of the association.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the appellants approached the Court of Appeal and also filed an application for an interlocutory injunction.
The landowners argued that the issuance of the global Certificate of Occupancy while the appeals remain unresolved raises serious legal questions, particularly concerning the doctrine of lis pendens, which seeks to preserve the subject matter of litigation and prevent actions capable of prejudicing the eventual outcome of pending proceedings.
