Investors who purchased land within Winhomes Estate in Okun-Ajah, Lagos, have pushed back against the estate developer’s ongoing claim to the property, arguing that ownership had already been legally transferred to them.
The buyers said the land in question had been sold by Winhomes Global Services Ltd, the company behind the estate, and therefore the firm no longer had any entitlement to the portion of land affected by the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
One of the investors, Banji Alabi, who serves as Chairman of SFL Properties Ltd., stated that his company bought 70 plots of land covering roughly 41,000 square metres** from the estate’s founder and CEO, Stella Okengwu for ₦1.7 billion
Alabi said the purchase followed a comprehensive due diligence process, which included verifying the land records at the Lagos State Land Registry located in Alausa, Ikeja.
According to him, all required legal documents were duly provided by the seller. These included a contract of sale, deed of assignment, and official payment receipts, confirming the transfer of the property.
He argued that Okengwu’s continued efforts to assert ownership and pursue compensation from the government for land affected by the highway project were unjustified.
“We legitimately bought this land. The total area is about 41,000 square metres, and the purchase price was ₦1.7 billion,” Alabi said.
However, he also alleged that certain critical details about the property were not disclosed at the time the transaction was completed.
Alabi noted that the investors were not informed of any existing dispute involving the Federal Ministry of Works before the acquisition.
He added that attempts to reach the seller for clarification on the issue had been unsuccessful and urged the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the transaction.
Also speaking on the matter, Olusesan Odeyingbo, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of SFL Properties Ltd., explained that the firm acquired approximately 4.7 hectares from a larger 12.07-hectare property originally owned by Okengwu.
He said the transaction was supported by multiple payment receipts totaling ₦1.7 billion, along with legal documents confirming that the land had been transferred to the buyers.
Odeyingbo added that less than four hectares of the purchased land was eventually taken for the coastal highway project.
He stressed that once the necessary legal documents had been signed and executed, the seller effectively relinquished all rights to the property.
“After the contract of sale and deed of assignment were executed, the ownership passed to the buyer. At that point, the seller no longer has a legal claim to the property,” he explained.
Odeyingbo also disclosed that after a court dismissed a case filed by Okengwu against the Federal Government, the company wrote to her formally, reiterating that she no longer had the legal authority to claim ownership of the land.
Meanwhile, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olufemi Dare, said the alignment of the coastal highway project was modified in order to reduce the number of properties that would be demolished.
He said officials from the Federal Ministry of Works worked with several Lagos State Government agencies to identify structures within the project’s right of way.
The agencies involved included the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning, the Lagos State Lands Bureau and the Office of the Surveyor-General of Lagos State
According to Dare, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, personally visited the site on two occasions before approving a shift in the road’s alignment closer to the shoreline.
He said the adjustment helped prevent the demolition of more than 300 buildings in the affected communities.
Dare also dismissed allegations circulating online that he advised Okengwu to offer a ₦200 million bribe to the Minister of Works.
He described the claim as completely false and challenged anyone making such accusations to present credible evidence.
“That allegation is not true. Anyone making that claim should provide proof,” he said.
The federal official further explained that another reason for the alignment adjustment was the discovery of important submarine internet cables near Chainage 25 along the initial project route.
According to Dare, damaging the cables could have disrupted internet connectivity not only in Nigeria but also in several other countries across West Africa.
He said the cables form part of a major digital gateway serving the region.
The infrastructure, he added, is linked to MTN Nigeria and the Medallion Data Centre, both of which manage critical communication systems.
To prevent any damage, engineers moved the highway route about 150 metres away from the cable landing point
Dare urged journalists and other stakeholders to independently confirm the existence of the cable landing station in the area.
He also noted that Okengwu had previously taken legal action against the Federal Government over the issue, but the court eventually dismissed the case.
In a related development, David Yussuf, an estate surveyor and valuer with Vic Uko and Associates, said an inspection of the estate showed very little development on the land.
According to him, the only visible structures at the site during the assessment were a perimeter fence and a gatehouse
