Residents of Ibeju Lekki, under the aegis of Ibeju-Lekki People’s Forum, have filed a lawsuit against the Lagos state government, seeking details of the $100 million paid by Aliko Dangote to acquire the land used for his refinery.
Gatekeepers News reports that in the suit, the forum and De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, are asking the court to compel the Lagos state government to give an account of the $100 million payment.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos state Governor, is the first respondent in the suit, along with the Lagos state attorney-general, accountant-general, and permanent secretary, lands bureau.
In the affidavits attached to the suit, Yakubu Eleto, youth leader and leader adviser to the applicants, said, “About 48 communities affected by the allocation of the 7,000 acres on the coastal line of Ibeju-Lekki were displaced by the activities of Dangote and his company, and the subsequent destruction of their means of livelihood.”
Eleto further stated that former Lagos governor, Babajide Fashola, said in 2015 that the land was gifted to Dangote. “He said the land where Dangote refinery is sitting on today was gifted to him by the Lagos State Government, and that if Ibeju-Lekki indigenes aren’t careful, the project will be taken to another part of the state like Badagry,” Eleto said.
The applicants are surprised by Dangote’s claim that he paid $100 million to acquire the land, adding that the state government has failed to respond to the allegation.
The affidavits read, “Despite the claim of purchase of the land from the 5th Respondents, the over 48 Communities affected by the sale of land to Dangote don’t have access to basic social amenities; electricity, pipe-borne water, good roads, schools, employment, and they have also been exposed to serious environmental threats.”
The applicants are praying the court to compel the respondents “to immediately furnish or make the information on the alleged claim of purchase of about 7000 acres of land available to the applicants through the applicant’s solicitors forthwith”.
