Court Voids Interim Injunction In Hampton Island Land Dispute

Justice Ezekiel Ashade of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Yaba has ruled that the interim injunction granted on March 25, 2025, in a land dispute between Capital Gardens Limited and Oretol Nigeria Limited is no longer valid.

Justice Ashade ruled that the order is no longer in force because parties in the suit have complied with the Pre-action Protocol of the High Court of Lagos State, which was the basis for issuing the injunction.

The judge also directed the parties to refrain from publishing any information regarding the dispute on social media or other platforms.

The suit was filed by Capital Gardens Limited over a four-hectare parcel of unreclaimed, submerged land within the approximately 40-hectare Hampton Island Estate in Lekki, Lagos.

This disputed area is outlined in Survey Plan No. FAI/3454/A01/2024/LA, dated February 8, 2024, and signed by Registered Surveyor A.I. Fashina.

An analysis of the court documents revealed that the entire Hampton Island Estate encompasses about 40 hectares with a government-approved layout.

The current dispute specifically affects only four hectares—namely, a submerged area that has yet to be reclaimed.

The remainder of the estate remains unaffected by the ongoing litigation.

The disagreement originates from a 2020 transaction in which Oretol Nigeria Limited, the estate developer, agreed to allocate four hectares to Capital Gardens Limited upon the completion of land reclamation.

However, delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic disruptions led to inflation and increased costs, making the project unviable.

Ultimately, Oretol terminated the agreement, prompting Capital Gardens Limited to file the current lawsuit to challenge the termination.