By Ayo Ayodele
Next Foods Limited, a company in which Mr Ndibe Obi, younger brother of the 2023 Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, holds a majority stake, has clarified its ownership of the property demolished on Tuesday in Ikeja, Lagos.
Speaking with journalists in Awka on Thursday, the lead Consel to Next foods limited, Chief Emeka Okpoko, SAN, described the ownership claim by one Deborah Olorunlogbon as inconsistent and riddled with legal defects, stating that the matter would be challenged in court.
Okpoko explained that the property was duly acquired by Next Foods Limited in 2011 and that the Governor of Lagos State granted consent to the transaction in 2013.
“The property was purchased in 2011. A deed of assignment was executed and duly registered, tracing the title history from the era of Western Nigeria—when the land registry was based in Ibadan—down to the most recent transaction. The legal chain is clearly documented,” he said.
On the recent demolition, the senior lawyer recounted: “Last week, I was alerted that persons came claiming to levy execution. I reviewed the court documents presented and found that the case was filed by Deborah Oluwalogbon against ‘persons unknown.”
According to him, the originating summons in question was not a suit over ownership but for possession. He raised concerns about the legality of the process, particularly the mode of service.
“You cannot serve a registered company via substituted service. What appears to have happened is that they pasted the notice in an inconspicuous part of the property, photographed it, and likely removed it thereafter. We never received any notification during the pendency of the case,” he added.
Okpoko further expressed suspicion over the timeline of events. “Judgment was obtained in 2024, yet execution was delayed until 2025—well outside the six-month execution window. To compound matters, a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) was allegedly obtained in 2025—after the judgment.”
He questioned the validity of the said C of O, stating: “They relied on a Federal C of O issued in 2021 by the Federal Ministry of Works, Ikoyi. Yet, we had already secured the Governor’s consent on the same property in 2013. No subsequent document can override a validly rooted title.”
The senior advocate noted that the issuance of a C of O cannot rectify a fundamentally defective title. “If the root of title is tainted by illegality or irregularity, no C of O can cure it. The law is clear on that.”
Okpoko confirmed that Next Foods Limited had filed applications in court to be joined as a party, amend the suit to reflect its interest, set aside the earlier judgment, and halt any further execution pending the hearing of the substantive matter.
“We are confident in our legal position. Once the court hears our side, we believe justice will prevail,” he concluded.