*Condemns impostors’ resort to media blackmail
The Skyview Property, a Lagos-based real estate development company, has dismissed as frivolous, cheap blackmail and a campaign of calumny recent claims in some publications by one Alhaji Akeem Osuolale Ogunseye that he has the right to a property at Plot 77, Lekki Phase 1, Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1 with Certificate of Occupancy issued in the name of Samuel Alao Ajibode.
The real estate company, in a statement signed on its behalf by Mr Daniel Itua stated that in 2008, it legally purchased the landed property in question from the then owner, who had purchased it from the original owner, Mr Ajibode and had the Certificate of Occupancy as well as a Deed of Conveyance executed by Ajibode in his favour.
Skyview also has a subsisting judgement from the Lagos High Court declaring it the rightful owner of the property.
The Company added that there was nothing in this landed matter that concerned the Assistant Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Moshood Jimoh, who only intervened to restore peace and ensure that both parties await the decision of the trial court, which was then hearing the case.
“The recent campaign of blackmail against AIG Jimoh and Skyview is a mere attempt to whip up public sentiment by a person who has no right in law and in fact to the property in question but has resorted to self-help and the use of violence to scare our workers from the property. We will not succumb to the blackmail.
“While we possess all the relevant documents conferring ownership of the said property on us, we want to state clearly that when the said Alhaji Ogunseye and his boys went to the property and wreaked violence on our workers, we reported the case to the then Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command, Mr Jimoh who only ordered that both parties should await the judgement in Court and that the police could not do anything on a sub judice matter. He also made all the parties agree to await the judgement of the Court since they have joined issues in the Court.
“As a law abiding corporate person, our company only returned to the site to commence development after the judgement of Hon. Justice K. A. Jose, delivered on June 30th, 2025 in which she issued “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the first Defendant, his agents and privies from further trespassing on the property situate at Plot 37, Block 77, Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1, Lekki, Lagos and from further harassing the claimant (Skyview Properties), its servants, employees, agents and privies in respect of any matter relating to the property.
“It should be noted that the said Mr Ogunseye is an agent of Mr Ajibode and the claim that they have a subsisting case at the Court of Appeal goes to no issue as they have no Stay of Execution order from the appellate Court which could prevent Skyview Properties from moving on with the execution of its approved plan by the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Development.
“Mr Ajibode who is the architect has eloped to the United States after using the said Alhaji Ogunseye to initiate the unwarranted claims. Ajibode had sold the land to an individual in 1992 and submitted his C of O as well as executed a Deed of Conveyance to the said buyer. Skyview Properties in turn bought from the buyer and paid adequate consideration for the property. We also paid money to Ajibode to execute another Deed of Conveyance to our Company.
“It was long after the conclusion of the transaction that Ajibode again returned with a demand which the Company considered as an extortion plan. He was demanding N50m. It was when Skyview told him we would not succumb to this game of blackmail that the said Alhaji Ogunseye came into the picture as the masquerade behind the public dance and mobilised some people to forcefully enter the property but were resisted.
“Our move to file a Court case and petition the Police Commissioner was a demonstration of the Company’s commitment to due process and judicial process instead of taking the law into our hands or resorting to self-help as the said Ogunseye did.
“We restate the fact that the subsisting Court judgement is in our favour and there is no judicial order restraining Skyview or that is contrary to the judgement of the Lagos High Court.
“We hereby advise members of the press to always check their facts thoroughly before rushing to publish based on the baseless claims of people who want to subvert the rule of law while manipulating the media to present themselves as victims while in fact, they are the people breaking the laws and subverting due process.
“Our Company is a responsible corporate body and will not do anything that will either break the law, compromise due process, or cause any breakdown of law and order”, the company stated.
