The management of a school, Edwards Private School in Agege, Lagos State, has sued Agege Local Government and the council chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Egunjobi.
Hotnewsnaija Online gathered from its sources at Samuel Ilori Court House that the case was called today.
The School was represented at the court by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and three lawyers.
Recall that Edwards Private School, Agege claimed that the Council Chairman demolished her building without legal rights.
While the school insists that it is the rightful owner of the building and the land where it is located and accused the council authority of illegal demolition, the council however defended its decision to demolish the building due to lack of title to the property.
Some residents and old students of the school, sighted at the scene, lamented the action of the council, stating that the school had been beneficial to a lot of indigent Agege residents for many decades.
The school’s books, files, and other properties were scattered within the premises as the staff were denied the opportunity of removing them before the demolition.
A staff of the school simply identified as Mrs Adetoro told our reporter that the school had an approved building plan, court judgment, a Registered Conveyance and governor’s consent, together with a government letter of excision/release of the land (amongst others) to the original land owners, from where it derived its Title/Conveyance.
She also said the titles were duly registered with the Lagos State Government after obtaining the governor’s consent some 30 years ago.
Mrs Adetoro also stated that the school had paid various levies, taxes and rates to Agege Local Government Area since 1992.
She also showed our reporter a copy of the school’s registered title, building approval number and other school approval documents and a copy of the letter the school owners wrote to the Agege Local Government Chairman and acknowledged in his office a day before the demolition.
Our reporter gathered that the council chairman, Ganiyu Egunjobi, had claimed that the half-plot of land where the school was built, is part of the extension to the Proposed New Agege Model Market, Old Ogba Road, Agege.
Egunjobi was also said to have claimed that the council got its title from the Lagos State government.