A Lagos-based non-profit organisation, Mental and Environmental Development Initiative for Children (MEDIC), has called on the Lagos State government and relevant environmental and law enforcement agencies to recover its donor-funded assets following the termination of its lease at Elegushi Beach, Lagos.
In a statement signed by its Head of Admin, Media and Communications, Mr Vincent Onyama, MEDIC said it was “deeply concerned over the alleged seizure and commercial use of its charity assets by Box Mall/SOL Beach and associated parties,” noting that the property in question was acquired through donor support and meant for public environmental education.
Founded in 2011, he said MEDIC is a community-driven non-governmental organisation promoting tree planting, recycling and ocean conservation, adding that it gained public attention for its Kids Beach Garden project, launched in 2015 to teach environmental awareness to schoolchildren and provide green jobs for women and youth through recycling and coastal clean-ups.
MEDIC said it moved the Kids Beach Garden to Elegushi Beach in 2020 and operated there, “in full compliance with its lease obligations, including maintenance charges and agreed-upon guest levies.”
Trouble reportedly began in 2024 when the beach’s lessor entered a new partnership with SOL Beach by Box Mall “without prior notice to relocate its equipment or inform its donors.”
MEDIC alleged that the conflict escalated in early 2025 after Box Mall ordered the organisation to remove a 20-foot recycling container, donated by the Nigerian Bottling Company, within three days or risk having it dismantled.
“MEDIC’s Board of Trustees subsequently resolved to relocate all assets to a new site at Akodo Ise, Ibeju-Lekki.
“On March 31, 2025, the organisation formally notified Box Mall in writing, requesting supervised access to retrieve its assets, valued at ₦44,046,500 (as of September 2024).
“While Box Mall acknowledged receipt of this letter, subsequent retrieval attempts were obstructed and its staff were allegedly harassed during the process,” Onyama said.
In its statement, Box Mall maintained that all the property “found on site at the time of possession” belonged to it, a claim MEDIC strongly disputed, arguing that the items were donor-funded and held in charitable trust.
The non-profit organization further alleged that Box Mall “has since been using these assets for private gain, despite ongoing police interventions and petitions filed with relevant authorities.
“Our organisation has spent over a decade building environmental education and livelihood programs for children and women through community-driven conservation.
“It is heartbreaking to see donor-funded work, including trees planted and assets purchased for public benefit, being commercialised without transparency or consent,” the statement quoted MEDIC’s founder, Ms Doyinsola Ogunye, as saying.
Reacting to the allegations, the company’s spokesperson, Ms Bolaji Ehinsanmi said, “We are aware of the false and defamatory claims being circulated by Ms Doyinsola Ogunye regarding alleged “assets” and “trees” at Elegushi Beach.
“For the record, the matter she refers to was fully addressed through the Lagos State Police Command and the AIG mediation, where she signed and confirmed in writing that she had retrieved all her trees and materials from the property.
“This issue was originally between her and the landlord, not BoxMall or its management. Despite this resolution, Ms Ogunye has continued to harass and defame our company online and in professional forums, apparently for financial gain and to pressure us into further concessions.
“BoxMall and SOL Beach Elegushi operate with full transparency and documented approvals. We have no outstanding claims or liabilities to Ms Ogunye. Any further public defamation will be met with legal action for harassment, defamation and character injury. We encourage all industry members to disregard her false statements and rely only on verified documentation and the official police record of resolution.”
