Office towers and a construction crane in Victoria Island, the banking and business district of Lagos, Nigeria. (Photo: Timmylegend, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

A federal court in Lagos, Nigeria’s business capital, has put a disputed plot in upmarket Victoria Island under a receiver. The applicant is Maryam Abacha, widow of the country’s former military ruler.

A Nigerian court has frozen dealings in a Victoria Island property in Lagos and placed it under a receiver during the dispute. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, and Lagos is its main commercial hub.

The applicant is Dr Maryam Sani Abacha, widow of General Sani Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. The respondent is Levitikal Realties & Construction Ltd, a local property developer.

What the court ordered

Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos issued the interim order on 29 September 2026. The case number is FHC/LAG/CS/1245/2026, according to reports in The Guardian and The Nation.

The property stands at No. 68 Molade Okoya Thomas Street, off Ajose Adeogun Street. That address sits in the heart of Victoria Island, a district of banks, corporate offices and luxury flats.

The judge barred Levitikal, its directors, agents and anyone acting through it from selling, transferring, leasing, mortgaging or otherwise encumbering the property. The restriction runs until the court hears Abacha’s application for a longer-lasting injunction.

He also barred the company from presenting itself to third parties as the owner with power to sell or mortgage the land. Any step that could prejudice the subject of the lawsuit is likewise forbidden, according to the order as reported.

Who will run the property

The receiver and manager is the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, or another court officer acting as official receiver. That officer is to take possession, custody and control of the site.

As an alternative, the order allows a private firm to do the job. It names estate surveyors Bola Adebule & Company, or another reputable firm registered with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Agency.

The judge also directed the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, to help enforce the order. Abacha was allowed to publish the order in newspapers and online to warn buyers, lenders and investors.

How the dispute began

According to the court papers as reported, the dispute grew out of a joint venture to build a high-rise on the site. The landowner later ended the agreement, alleging fundamental breaches by the developer, Levitikal.

A notice of dispute requesting mediation or arbitration was issued on 7 September 2026. Abacha’s lawyer, Adedayo Adesina, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (the country’s top rank for barristers), filed the urgent application on 10 September.

The application was made ex parte, meaning the judge heard only one side before ruling. The supporting affidavit was sworn by Sadiq Mohammed Abacha, according to The Guardian and The Nation.

The title relied on in the suit is a Certificate of Occupancy dated 4 July 1988. In Nigeria, this document is the state’s grant of the right to occupy land, since the state formally owns all land.

The other side

Levitikal’s response to the order was not reported in the coverage, and the allegations of breach have not been tested in court. An interim order of this kind is not a finding against any party.

The Guardian reported that Levitikal Group names Samuel Mawuyon Ajose as its chairman and chief executive. It said Ajose declared an interest in the 2027 Lagos governorship race in January 2026.

Why foreign investors should care

Victoria Island is where many multinational companies, banks and embassies in Nigeria have offices. Prime plots there are scarce, so developers often build through joint ventures with landowners rather than buying land outright.

When such a partnership breaks down, courts can freeze a project for months or years. Buyers and lenders who deal with the wrong party risk being caught in the litigation.

Foreigners cannot hold freehold land in Nigeria and usually rely on leases and occupancy certificates. The Rio Times has explained how buying property in Nigeria works for foreigners.

Checks at the state lands registry, plus a search for pending suits, are standard precautions. This case shows why lawyers in Lagos insist on both before any deal in the district.

What to watch next

The case returns to the Federal High Court on 9 November 2026. Levitikal may then contest the order or set out its own claim to the site.

Parallel arbitration proceedings are also under way, according to the court papers as reported. Either track could decide who controls the land.

For now, the site stays in court hands. No value for the property was given in the reports.

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