2 were charged with illegally demolishing a N800 million Lagos property.
Published on August 15th, 2023
Falilat Oluwayemisi and Adeshina Balogun, two people accused of illegally demolishing a four-story building worth N800 million, have appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.
Oluwayemisi and Balogun are accused of conspiring to demolish a Hakeem Olawuyi-owned building in Lagos illegally on six counts.
In place of Insp. Ajayi Emmanuel, the prosecutor, SP Josephine Ikhayere, informed the court that the defendants planned to commit the crime on April 1 with others who are still at large.
Ikhayere claimed that the defendants had destroyed the four-story building and forced the occupants to leave by using thugs who were armed with deadly weapons.
She claimed that the structure had 24 lock-up shops, 12 two-bedroom apartments, and four self-contained apartments. It was situated at Number 20a, Church Street, in the Isale-Eko neighborhood of Lagos Island.
According to Ikhayere, Olawuyi of Dapo Ola Construction Company owned the entire collection of items valued at N800 million that were destroyed during the demolition.
She testified before the court that the offenses were against the 2015 Lagos State Criminal Law.
The defendants entered a not guilty plea to the accusations.
The defendants were granted bail in the amount of N800,000 and two sureties, both of whom had to be in gainful employment and have paid two years’ worth of taxes to the Lagos State Government, according to the presiding magistrate, Mr. Lateef Owolabi, speaking on behalf of Magistrate O. I Raji.
The matter was postponed until August 28 by Owolabi. (NAN)