The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the appointment of a receiver/manager over a property at No. 68 Molade Okoya Thomas Street, off Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, amid a dispute between Maryam Sani Abacha and Levitikal Realties & Construction Limited.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa made the order on September 29, 2026, following an ex-parte application filed by counsel to Abacha, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Adedayo Adesina.
The property, linked to Levitikal Realties and associated with Samuel Ajose, chairman and chief executive officer of Levitikal Group and a former Lagos State governorship aspirant, is covered by a certificate of occupancy issued on July 4, 1988.
The title is registered as No. 32 at page 32 in Volume 1988B of the Lands Registry Office, Lagos State.
Under the order, Levitikal Realties, its directors, officers, agents, representatives and other persons acting through the company were restrained from dealing with the property pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
Specifically, the court prohibited the defendants from selling, transferring, assigning, mortgaging, leasing, charging, alienating or otherwise encumbering the property.
The company was also restrained from holding itself out to any third party as the owner of the property or as having the authority to dispose of, mortgage, lease or otherwise deal with it.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa appointed the deputy chief registrar of the Federal High Court, or any officer serving as official receiver, to take possession, custody and control of the property pending the determination of the motion.
The court, in the alternative, approved Bola Adebule & Company, estate surveyors and valuers, or another fit and reputable property management firm registered with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Agency, to perform the same role.
The legal dispute reportedly arose from a joint venture agreement between the parties for the development of a high-rise building on the property.
According to the court processes, the landowner subsequently terminated the joint venture agreement, citing alleged fundamental breaches by Levitikal Realties.
The allegations remain unresolved and have not been finally determined by the court.
The matter has also spilled into arbitration, with a notice of dispute and request for mediation and/or arbitration dated September 7, 2026, filed in connection with the property.
The property was previously sealed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as part of an alleged investigation. The reported EFCC action is separate from the civil proceedings before the Federal High Court.
To guard against dealings in the disputed property while the case is pending, the court authorised Abacha to publish the orders in national newspapers and online media in Nigeria.
The publication is intended to alert prospective purchasers, lenders, investors and other interested parties to the ongoing proceedings and Abacha’s claimed interest in the property.
The judge also directed the police, including the Inspector-General of Police, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, as well as the EFCC and other relevant law-enforcement agencies, to provide security and assistance in enforcing the court’s orders.
The suit has been adjourned until November 9, 2026, for further proceedings.
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