A Lagos couple, Mr Olusola Alabi and Mrs Olufunmilola Alabi, have lamented that justice has not been fully served despite a court ruling in their favour over alleged breaking and entry, theft, intimidation and abuse of process involving their landlord, Mr Lawrence Onwukwem, and his associates.
The couple said that in May 2021, they rented an apartment known as Block A, Flat 3, 96B Ladipo Omotesho Cole Street, Lekki Phase I, Lagos, from Onwukwem, who operates under the name Green Birch Tech Limited, for short-let (Airbnb) business purposes.
According to them, disputes later arose following an alleged breach of the tenancy agreement by the landlord, prompting Mrs Alabi to seek legal redress.
In a judgment delivered on June 5, 2025, Chief Magistrate Kikelomo Olaiya Doja-Ojo convicted the directors of the first defendant, including Onwukwem (Managing Director) and Mr Isaiah Davies Ijele, as well as Mr Sodiq Kazeem, the estate manager, and Ms Peace Chidinma Igbo, for contempt of court.
The court found them guilty of forceful ejection of the claimant from the three-bedroom flat and one-room boys’ quarters located at Block A, Flat 3, No. 96B, Ladipo Omotesho Cole Street, Lekki I, Eti-Osa, Lagos State.
The court also held that the defendants unlawfully trespassed into the apartment, forced the door open, removed the claimant’s furniture, electronics, beddings, refrigerator, air conditioners and gas cooker with cylinder, and changed the entrance door locks without any lawful court order, while Suit No: MISC/MCE/07/2023 and Suit No: MCE165/CIV/2024 were pending.
The directors of Green Birch Tech Ltd, Onwukwem and Ijele, alongside two staff members, Kazeem and Igbo, were sentenced to six months in a correctional centre for continually flouting the court’s order. They were also ordered to pay N250,000 each to the court.
The court further ordered that the claimant be restored to possession of the apartment and that all belongings removed be returned immediately.
However, the couple alleged that despite the ruling, they were yet to recover all their belongings and that the apartment had been rented out to another tenant.
They also claimed that while Kazeem is serving his jail term at Ikoyi Correctional Centre, the other three convicted persons have gone into hiding.
The couple appealed to the Nigeria Police Force to investigate the matter and ensure accountability.
When contacted for comment, Onwukwem and Ijele could not be reached as their telephone lines were unreachable.
However, Igbo denied allegations that she was arrested and charged to court for failing to produce Kazeem. She also refuted claims that she stood as surety for him, insisting that she never signed any legal documents in that capacity.
“They have spoilt my name and career. I don’t know how to reach them. They issue with a particular person and why involve me instead of meeting them directly. I know nothing about it. 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 a lawyer in that instance. I was in law school in 2021,” she said.
She, however, acknowledged that steps had been taken to address the matter, including efforts to obtain a remand order.
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