*residents resist developer’s forceful takeover moves *insist on original building plan
The Shell East Staff Investment Cooperative Society, developers of Abuja Shell CoopEast Garden City Estate has been engulfed in a protracted battle with its subscribers over the planned sale of an expanse land earmarked as the Green Area within the estate, which is being used as children’s playing ground.
The developers, having faced stiff resistance from the home owners and residents in the estate, thereby, initiated moves to take over control and management of the facility, which hitherto was handed over to the residents in November, 2017.
While the subscribers of the estate insisted on the original design as contained in the deed of assignment handed over to them, the developers had concluded plans to sell the Green Area to new potential subscribers who may plan to use same for different purposes other that what is contained in the estate’s plan.
Currently within the estate, there are 2-blocks of flats which were not part of the FCDA approved plan. The developers had also gone ahead to sell some part of the Green Area as residential plots to new subscribers but were forced to make refunds to buyers when the association objected.
The Shell CoopEast Garden City Estate, located in Gaduwa District, along Lokogoma road, Abuja was allocated to the cooperative society but its was handed over to the subscribers after the buildings were fully bought and taken over by new owners.
However, following resistance to the planned sale from the Residents Association, the developers (Shell East Staff Investment Cooperative Society) in a letter dated 6th August 2022, addressed to the Landlords Committee attempted to take back full control and day-to-day management of the estate, effective from October 2022.
In defiance to the letter, the Shell CoopEast Residents Association, through its solicitor, Olenloa Elaine Aisha of Brooks Legal Consult, insisted that it does not recognise any Landlord Committee acting on behalf of the developer. The law firm established in the letter that leaders of the Residents Association were democratically elected.
Olenloa in her reply, however, advised the developers to jettison the idea of taking back full control of the estate, noting that such action would be treated as violation of the occupants rights of ownership and peaceful possession of their property.
The Verge gathered that there had been attempts to forcefully eject security personnel employed by the association in an apparent move to gain control of the facility.
A resident of the Estate who doesn’t want to be named because the matter is already in court, said the estate developers had at various times engaged some armed police officers to forcefully take over the estate. This, according to him, was to ensure the smooth sale of the Green Area without further resistance.
”The Residents Association leaders have been in and out of the police station over frivolous complaints to the police by the developers. At some point, representatives of the developers came into the estate with some armed policemen in uniform, in an attempt to chase away our security men and impose their own security. It took the intervention of a deputy commissioner of police who ordered the officers out of the facility. We would later realise that the officers were on illegal duty when our lawyer visited the police command the next day,@ the source stated.
Further investigations revealed that the chairman and other executive officers of the residents association had been accused of various criminal acts following their resolve not to bulge.
The Verge also sighted copies of different invitation letters addressed to the resident association’s chairman, Mr. Tolu Akinyede, linking him and three others to an alleged crime.
A letter addressed to Akinyede from the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) of the Force Headquarters, reads, “This office is investigating a case of threat to life and illegal takeover of cooperative property in which your name features prominently. In view of the above, you are kindly invited for an interview with the commissioner of police , Special Enquiry Bureau. You are to come alongside the following, Mrs Christie Willaims Cobham (Vice Chairman, Mr. Kosto Aku (secretary) and Mrs Folake Lawal (Treasurer).” The letter dated 2nd February, 2024 was signed by Ibrahim B. Zango, a commissioner of police, on behalf of the deputy inspector general of police in charge of criminal investigations.
Another letter dated 20th March, 2024, also addressed to the chairman, from the Criminal Investigations Department of the FCT Police Command reads, “This office is investigating a case of criminal conspiracy, trespass and criminal intimidation, in which your name featured prominently. In view of the above, you are requested to interview the undersigned with the undersigned, through the officer in-charge, general investigation.” This was signed by Kayode Ojapinwa, a deputy commissioner of police.
Meanwhile, the Residents Association has approached the High court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) seeking an order of the Court to restrict the developers from violating the original plan of the Estate. Specifically, the residents are praying the court to direct the developers to carry out all developmental projects as promised from carrying out any developmental projects on the Green Area. This also includes provision and proper channeling of the water and sewage system.
