Two people, Falilat Oluwayemisi and Adeshina Balogun appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday for illegally demolishing a four-storey building worth N800 million.
The Lagos developer, Hakeem Olawuyi’s building was illegally demolished by Oluwayemisi and Balogun on six counts of conspiracy.
In place of Insp. Ajayi Emmanuel, the prosecutor, SP Josephine Ikhayere, informed the court that the defendants planned to perpetrate the crime on April 1 with others who are still at large.
Ikhayere claimed that the defendants had forced the tenants to leave the four-story structure and destroyed it with the assistance of thugs carrying deadly weapons.
She claimed that the structure comprised 24 lock-up businesses, 12 two-bedroom apartments, and four self-contained apartments which were situated at number 20a, Church Street, in the Isale-Eko neighbourhood of Lagos Island.
Ikhayere said that the total worth of items destroyed during the demolition was valued at N800 million, belonging to Olawuyi of Dapo Ola Construction Company.
She told the court that the offences contravened the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The defendants were granted bail in the amount of N800,000 and two sureties, each 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.
Owolabi adjourned the matter until August 28 for mention.
