A 70-year-old Lagos resident, Ms. Uche Ibeto, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), alleging that she was forcibly and unlawfully evicted from her late mother’s property in Surulere through a judgment she insists was obtained by fraud and impersonation.
Ibeto said she lived in the building for over five decades and was unaware of any court case until the eviction was carried out on August 15, 2025.
In the petition, Ibeto explained that the property belonged to her late mother, who died intestate in 2013, and that although a letter of administration was issued to her two sisters, it covered only the personal estate, not the Surulere house.
She said she was shocked to learn of a judgment in Suit No. LD/9481GCM/2025 between one Cecil Ezem Osakwe and her sisters—who she claims were never served—while neither she nor the tenants were made parties to the suit.
The petitioner alleged that the case was riddled with irregularities, including lawyers connected to the same law firm appearing for opposing sides, forged or unauthorized legal filings, improper service of court processes, and property documents that were undated, referenced another person’s land in Idimu, and lacked a consideration clause.
She insists these defects show an orchestrated attempt to fraudulently secure ownership and possession of the property.
Ibeto said that during the eviction, sheriffs of the Lagos High Court, police officers, and civilian enforcers damaged or carted away her belongings and sealed tenants’ spaces, including a law office, after which unknown individuals allegedly took over the property and began demolition works.
She further claimed that efforts by her lawyers to challenge the judgment were frustrated by alleged diversion of her case file and the filing of a “surreptitious” notice of appeal by persons linked to the claimant.
She is asking the CJN and the IGP to intervene by directing that the case file be returned to the High Court for hearing of her application to set aside the judgment, reassigning the matter to another judge, investigating the roles of judicial and police officers involved, and halting further demolition of the property pending the resolution of the dispute.