The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has appointed a receiver and manager to take possession and control of a disputed property at No. 68 Molade Okoya Thomas Street, off Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, in a suit instituted by Dr. (Mrs.) Maryam Sani Abacha against Levitikal Realties & Construction Limited.
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The interim order was made on 29 September 2026 by Honourable Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa in Suit No. FHC/LAG/CS/1245/2026, in which Dr. Abacha is plaintiff and applicant and the company is defendant and respondent.
The property is covered by a Certificate of Occupancy dated 4 July 1988, registered as No. 32 at Page 32 in Volume 1988B of the Lands Registry Office, Lagos State.
The court’s intervention followed an ex parte application filed on 10 September 2026 through the applicant’s counsel, Mr. Adedayo Adesina, SAN.
The court reached its decision after considering the affidavit filed in support, sworn to by Mr. Sadiq Mohammed Abacha, together with the submissions of counsel.
The judge restrained the company, its directors, agents, representatives, servants and persons acting through it from selling, transferring, assigning, mortgaging, leasing, charging, alienating or otherwise encumbering the property, pending the hearing and determination of the applicant’s motion on notice for an interlocutory injunction.
He further barred the company from taking any step or carrying out any act calculated to interfere with, overreach, dissipate, assign, transfer, sell, alienate, encumber or otherwise prejudice the subject matter of the originating summons.
The judge also restrained it from representing or holding itself out to any third party as the owner of the property with the capacity to sell, transfer, mortgage, lease, alienate or otherwise encumber it.
In what the court processes describe as a significant aspect of the order, the judge appointed the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, or any officer of the court serving as Official Receiver, as receiver and manager to take possession, custody and control of the property, pending the hearing and final determination of the motion on notice.
In the alternative, the court approved the appointment of the property management company of Bola Adebule & Company, Estate Surveyors & Valuers, or any other fit and reputable property management firm registered with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Agency, to take possession and control of the property.
The judge authorised the applicant to publish the court’s orders in national newspapers and online media circulating in Nigeria, to notify members of the public, prospective purchasers, lenders, investors and other interested parties of the pending proceedings and of her interest in the property.
He further directed the Nigeria Police Force, including the Inspector-General of Police, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other relevant law enforcement agencies, to provide adequate security and assistance to the applicant and to the Deputy Sheriff of the Federal High Court for the implementation and enforcement of the orders.
The order arose against the background of a Notice of Dispute and Request for Mediation and/or Arbitration dated 7 September 2026 concerning the property.
The dispute is reported to have originated from a joint venture arrangement for the development of a high-rise property on the site. According to the account contained in the court processes, the landowner subsequently terminated the joint venture agreement over alleged fundamental breaches by the developer.
The processes further indicate that the dispute has generated parallel legal and alternative dispute resolution proceedings, including the Federal High Court action and arbitration proceedings.
Levitikal Group identifies Mr. Samuel Mawuyon Ajose as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and describes the group as having interests including construction and real estate. He publicly described himself in January 2026 as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the group while declaring his interest in the 2027 Lagos State governorship race.
The property has previously attracted the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Media reports in August 2026 stated that operatives of the commission had marked the Victoria Island development with a warning directing persons to keep off, amid an alleged investigation. Those reports did not establish any final finding of wrongdoing against any party.
The matter has been adjourned to 9 November 2026.
The interim order does not amount to a final determination of ownership of the property or of the substantive rights of the parties. The restrictions and the receivership are interim measures pending further proceedings, in particular the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
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