Next Foods Limited, a company in which Mr. Ndibe Obi, younger brother of Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi, holds a majority stake, has challenged the ownership claim over a recently demolished property in Ikeja, Lagos, describing it as “legally defective and misleading.”
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Speaking to journalists in Awka on Thursday, the company’s lead counsel, Chief Emeka Okpoko, SAN, stated that Next Foods legally acquired the property in 2011 and secured the consent of the Lagos State Governor for the transaction in 2013.
“The property was purchased in 2011 through a registered deed of assignment, with title tracing back to the era of Western Nigeria when the land registry was in Ibadan,” Okpoko explained. “The title chain is intact and clearly documented, including the Governor’s consent obtained in 2013.”
Okpoko dismissed the counter-claim made by one Deborah Olorunlogbon, who allegedly initiated enforcement actions that led to the demolition. According to the senior advocate, the legal process used to obtain possession was flawed.
“The originating summons was not an ownership suit—it was for possession. Worse still, it was filed against ‘persons unknown.’ No legal notice was served to us. You cannot serve a registered company by pasting notices in obscure parts of a building,” he said.
He alleged that the notice of the suit was neither properly delivered nor acknowledged, raising questions about the fairness and legality of the process.
“We were never aware of the case while it was ongoing. What was presented as substituted service is not legally acceptable for a registered company,” he stressed.
Okpoko further questioned the suspicious timeline surrounding the dispute. “The judgment was delivered in 2024, yet the execution took place in 2025—well beyond the six-month statutory limit for execution. Even more troubling is that the other party allegedly obtained a Certificate of Occupancy in 2025, after securing judgment.”
The senior lawyer cast doubt on the credibility of that C of O, which he said was issued by the Federal Ministry of Works in Ikoyi, Lagos.
“How can a Federal C of O issued in 2021 override the Lagos State Governor’s consent granted in 2013?” he asked. “No subsequent document can cure a title that is already defective. The law is crystal clear on this.”
Next Foods Limited, he confirmed, has approached the court to challenge the previous judgment, join the suit as an interested party, and halt further execution activities pending a full hearing of the case.
“We have filed applications to be joined, amend the suit to reflect our interest, and set aside the judgment. Our position is backed by valid title and due process. We are confident that once the court hears our side, justice will prevail,” Okpoko concluded.
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