Festac Land Dispute: Family Petitions Police Over Alleged Task Force Harassment

The Kuje-Amuwo Chieftaincy Family has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over the alleged deployment of the Lagos State Task Force on Land Matters to harass landowners and interfere with its disputed property in Festac Town Extension, Lagos.

In a petition dated September 28, 2026, the family accused the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and other parties of using the task force to disrupt activities on portions of the disputed land around 6th and 7th Avenue in Festac Town Extension.

The family also questioned the authority to apply a directive reportedly issued in connection with the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to the disputed property. The directive was attributed to Engineer O.E. Dare, whom the petition identifies as a Federal Controller with the Federal Ministry of Works.

Read Also: 47 Days After Oloto’s Murder, Ibagwa-Ani Group Demands Arrest Of Killers

The petition followed an earlier complaint to the Inspector-General of Police, which led to an investigation by the Police Monitoring Unit, Obalande, in March 2026. The family, however, said the investigation had yet to produce a report.

Tracing the dispute to the federal government’s acquisition of portions of its land for the 1977 World Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ’77), the family maintained that the acquisition did not cover the entire property.

It claimed that a survey conducted by the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation established that only 4.017 hectares of the land fell within the area acquired for the Federal Housing Authority (FHA).

The family further stated that the Federal Ministry of Land and Housing issued a letter in December 2010 concerning the release of the unused portion of the land, while it had obtained a court order for physical possession on 25 May 2010.

Despite these developments, the family alleged that activities on the disputed property continued in defiance of court orders restraining demolition and obstruction of activities on the land.

The dispute is still pending before Justice Raliat Adebiyi, with 15 October 2026 listed in the petition as the next adjourned date.

The family urged the police to investigate the task force’s alleged involvement, establish the circumstances surrounding its intervention, and make the findings available to the parties.

It said the outcome of the investigation would help the court determine ownership and other issues arising from the protracted land dispute.

The petition was signed by the family’s General Secretary/Coordinator, O.M. Osobase (JP), and copied to the Presidency, the Inspector-General of Police, the Minister of Land and Housing, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command.