A Federal High Court in Lagos has appointed a receiver/manager to take possession and control of a disputed property at No. 68 Molade Okoya Thomas Street, off Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa made the order on September 29, 2026, in a suit filed by Maryam Sani Abacha, wife of former military head of state Sani Abacha, against Levitikal Realties & Construction Limited.
The property is covered by a Certificate of Occupancy dated July 4, 1988, and registered as No. 32 at Page 32 in Volume 1988B of the Lagos State Lands Registry.
The court restrained Levitikal Realties, its directors, officers, agents and representatives from selling, transferring, assigning, mortgaging, leasing, charging, alienating or otherwise encumbering the property pending the hearing and determination of Abacha’s application for an interlocutory injunction.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa also barred the company from presenting itself to third parties as the owner of the property with the authority to sell, transfer, mortgage, lease or otherwise deal with it.
The Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, or any officer serving as official receiver, was appointed receiver/manager to take possession, custody and control of the property. The court alternatively approved Bola Adebule & Company, Estate Surveyors and Valuers, or another suitable property management firm registered with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Agency, LASRERA, for the role.
The suit, marked FHC/LAG/CS/1245/2026, followed an ex-parte application filed by Abacha on September 10 through her counsel, Adedayo Adesina, SAN.
According to the court processes, the dispute arose from a joint venture arrangement for the development of a high-rise property on the site. The landowner subsequently terminated the agreement over alleged fundamental breaches by Levitikal Realties. The allegations remain part of the ongoing dispute and have not been finally determined by the court.
The dispute has also extended to alternative dispute resolution, with a Notice of Dispute and Request for Mediation and/or Arbitration dated September 7, 2026, connected to the property.
The property had previously attracted attention from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Reports in August said EFCC operatives sealed the development amid an alleged investigation, although that reported action is separate from the current civil proceedings and does not amount to a final finding of wrongdoing against either party.
The court also authorised Abacha to publish the order in national newspapers and online media to notify members of the public, prospective buyers, lenders and investors about the pending proceedings and her interest in the property. Police authorities, the EFCC and other relevant agencies were directed to provide assistance in enforcing the order.
The case has been adjourned until November 9, 2026.
