A group operating under the De Renaissance Patriots and the Ibeju-Lekki people, has sued Lagos State government over their land which was sold to Dangote Refinery to the tune of $100 million.
The legal tussle was occasioned by the revelation of Dangote Group sometime in July that the expanse land hosting the 650 barrel per day Petroleum Refinery was procured from Lagos State government and has been fully paid.
The legal claim has already been lodged at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, CAPITAL POST learnt on Monday.
The group is demanding for response to claims by the Chief Executive Officer of Dangote, Alhaji Dangote from Lagos State government, whether what Dangote revealed was true or false.
CAPITAL POST recalled Dangote’s claims in July that he procured the land which is approximately 7,000 acres to the tune of $100 million, a claim Lagos State neither agree nor denied till date.
In a statement on Sunday which was made available to journalists De Renaissance Patriots Foundation demanded for explanation from Lagos State government to give a detailed account of how such a huge sum of money in hard currency was collected in exchange for the poor Ibeju-Lekki people’s land, if Alhaji Dangote’s claim was true.
In the originating summon, the group urged the Court to compel Lagos State Government to disclose the account the said money was paid into and what the fund was used for.
Citing Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), and Sections 1, 3, 4, 7, 20, and 24 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011, joining Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and four others as respondents, the group insisted on response from Lagos State Government.
The four others are: the Attorney General of Lagos State, the State Accountant General, the Permanent Secretary of the Lands Bureau, Lagos State, and the Lagos State Government.
“The motion, filed and registered by the court with Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1603/2024 at 1:20 p.m. on Friday, September 6, 2024, is seeking the court to issue an Order of Mandamus against the respondents to compel the Lagos State Government to release the information required by the applicants,” the statement said.
