Questions are being raised months after a Lagos Chief Magistrates’ Court sentenced four individuals to six months imprisonment for contempt of court in connection with the forceful eviction of a couple from their rented apartment in Lekki, Lagos.
While one of the convicts, Mr. Sodiq Kazeem, is currently serving his jail term, three others including Mr. Lawrence Onwukwem, Mr. Davies Ijele and Ms. Peace Chidinma Igbo are reportedly still at large despite the court order.
The four individuals, said to be associated with Green Birch Tech Ltd, were convicted by the Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Eti-Osa over their involvement in the unlawful eviction of Mr. Olusola Alabi and his wife, Mrs. Olufunmilola Alabi, from a three-bedroom apartment located at No. 96B, Ladipo Omotosho Cole Street, Lekki Phase I.
The court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Kikelomo Olaiya Doja-Ojo, delivered the ruling on June 5, 2025, after finding the defendants guilty of contempt of court for repeatedly disobeying court orders during proceedings.
According to the charges marked MISC/MCE/07/2023, the defendants unlawfully entered the apartment occupied by the Alabi family while the tenancy dispute was still pending before the court.
They were accused of breaking open the door, removing household items including furniture, electronics, air conditioners, refrigerator and gas cooker, and changing the locks without lawful authority or a valid court order.
The court held that the actions violated Section 44(1)(a) of the Lagos State Tenancy Law of 2011 (as amended), which prohibits the forceful eviction of tenants without due legal process.
In her judgment, the Chief Magistrate sentenced each of the four defendants to six months imprisonment in a correctional facility and imposed a fine of N250,000 each.
The court also ordered that the claimants be restored to possession of the apartment and that all belongings removed from the premises be returned immediately.
Despite the ruling, the Alabi family alleged that only Kazeem is currently serving his sentence at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, while the three others have allegedly gone into hiding.
The couple said the dispute began after what they described as a breach of their tenancy agreement by the landlord, prompting Mrs.Alabi to seek legal redress in court.
They further alleged that while the case was still before the court, the landlord and his associates broke into the apartment, removed properties valued at about N25 million and subsequently rented the flat to another tenant.
Attempts to reach Onwukwem and Ijele for comments were unsuccessful as their phone lines were unreachable at the time of filing this report.
However, Igbo denied claims linking her to the alleged evasion of justice. She rejected allegations that she was arrested or stood as surety for Kazeem.
“They have spoilt my name and career. I don’t know how to reach them. They have issue with a particular person and why involving me instead of meeting those concerned directly. I know nothing about it,” she said.
She also clarified that she never signed any document as a surety.
“For the record, I didn’t sign in as a surety. I was working as a secretary and HR for the firm. I was not acting as a lawyer. I was in law school in 2021,” she stated.
Igbo, however, acknowledged that steps were being taken to address the situation, including efforts to obtain a remand order in relation to the matter.
The case has continued to generate attention within the property sector and among tenants’ rights advocates, who say it underscores the need for strict enforcement of tenancy laws and court orders in Lagos.
