Fight between 85-yearold landlord, Lebanese firm over Lagos property gets messier

The house on 33 Balogun Road, Lagos, is in dispute. There are two claimants. Although the Dr. Charles Oladeinde Williams’ family members wishes their asset handed again to them, the Lebanese business, which supposedly leased it, statements the residence had long been offered to them. Taiwo Hassan, who has been subsequent the disagreement, experiences

For the previous Main Clinical Director of Unity Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Charles Oladeinde Williams, it’s been a tug-of-war trying to reclaim his inheritance. His father, late Clarence Olatunde Williams, inherited the residence with his siblings from their personal father, James Wilson. His father, and his uncle, Charles Adeyinka Wilson, as very well as his aunts, Florence Aduke Bajomo (Nee Williams) and Adenike Wilson, experienced leased the home to Mohammed El-Khalil and some others in 1953.

The lease was for 50 several years. And the 10-storey constructing was on 3/5, Bankole Avenue, Lagos, at that time. The street experienced because been rearranged and it is now on 33 Balogun Road. Williams Snr. and his siblings had declared on their own entrepreneurs of the aforementioned property by inheritance below native legal guidelines and customs. But in 1953, they granted a 50-calendar year lease of the house to Messrs Mohammed El-Khalil and Ramiz Moukarim.

Nevertheless, a tiny in excess of 3 a long time (1956) immediately after the execution of the 1953 lease, Moukarim and El-Khalil allegedly claimed to have out rightly ordered the property from Williams’ father and his siblings the exact same brothers and sisters who built the 1952 Declaration and signed the 1953 lease. But Williams has maintained that he experienced no know-how of the purported sale of the assets, insisting that the Lebanese ended up occupying the constructing beneath the 1953 lease.

At the expiration of the lease on March 31, 2003, the Lebanese, Williams claimed, refused to vacate the house, prompting him to formally notify them of the expiration of the lease, while at the exact time requesting them to vacate the property. Williams reported: “We approached the Lebanese to get back our home, but their reaction was disheartening. Alternatively of complying, they claimed that the assets had been marketed to their progenitor three yrs into the lease settlement. This, they mentioned, was perfected in 1956.

They drew our attention to the 1956 Deed of Transfer less than which they claimed the residence was bought to them.” Concerned by the change of occasions, the 85-12 months-aged Williams performed a search at the lands Registry, Alausa, Ikeja, but what he observed out was additional confounding. It was identified, in accordance to him, that the Deed of Transfer of title was in fact registered by the Lebanese as the rightful homeowners of the house, scarcely three decades just after the commencement of the 50-year lease by the Williams’ relatives.

Not content with what they observed, the Williams went to receive a duplicate of the 1956 Deed of Transfer and forwarded similar to the Forensic Science Laboratory of the Nigerian Law enforcement, Alagbon, Lagos, for further more scrutiny and to verify the authenticity of the signatures of his father and his father’s siblings and in contrast with those on the 1953 lease. Immediately after the evaluation of the forensic report, the Police concluded that the signatures on the 1956 meant Deed of Transfer of title have been fully diverse from those people on the 1952 declaration and the 1953 Deed of Lease.

They subsequently declared that the 1956 Deed of Transfer was solid. A further seeming abnormality that caught Williams’ eyes was the failure of the 1956 Deed of Transfer to cancel or even make any form of reference to the 1953 Deed of Lease, which ordinarily ought to have been the scenario.

It was also found that the Lebanese inadvertently misrepresented or wrongly described Williams’ aunt, Adenike Wilson, as “Anike Wilson” in the purported 1956 Deed of Transfer in spite of the simple fact that in the 1952 Declaration and 1953 Lease, the exact same aunt was persistently described as Adenike Wilson. It was the combination of the Police findings and these contradictions that prompted Williams to solution the High Court of Lagos State to request to void it and to recuperate their family’s assets.

On March 8, 2012, the family members commenced a accommodate at the Significant Court of Lagos Condition, versus El-Khalil & Sons Homes Limited and a few other folks. They included the private representatives of the Estate of Mohammed El-Khalil, private representatives of the Estate of Ramiz Moukarim and the Registrar of Titles, Lands Registry of Lagos State as defendants. Williams had approached the court docket seeking repossession of the assets. The lawful fight spanned 7 decades in advance of the court docket shipped its judgement in the suit on December, 6, 2019, in favour of Williams and his family members.

A search at the summary of the history upon which the authorized battle was fought as shown in a courtroom document manufactured accessible to this newspaper indicated that Williams is a descendant of 1 James Wilson, the first owner of the house in dispute. By the way, the Lebanese organization, in accordance to Williams, experienced refused to hand above the property to him and his family and has due to the fact been disheartening the court docket get on the excuse that they experienced appealed the judgement at the Court of Attraction, Lagos.

At the hearing of the accommodate, the two Williams and the Lebanese identified as for forensic proof in respect of the authenticity or or else of the signatures on the 1956 Deed of Transfer as when compared to the signatures on the 1952 Declaration and the 1953 Deed of Lease. But in a alternatively strange twist, the forensic medical professional termed by the defendants testified less than crossexamination right before the demo courtroom that the signatures on the Deed of Transfer were being so distinctive from the signatures on the 1953 Lease “that there was no basis for any comparison among the two sets of signatures.” After the judgement, the defendants filed an appeal at the Courtroom of Appeal, Lagos Division, in search of to overturn the ruling. They also used for a remain of execution of the judgement of the trial courtroom pending the consequence of that attractiveness.

Nevertheless, at the hearing of the software for remain of execution, the defendants educated the trial courtroom that they were being prepared to deposit a bank warranty with the registrar of the trial courtroom for the judgement sum pending the result of their enchantment.

Incidentally, Williams did not oppose the defendants’ proposal that a financial institution assurance should be deposited in the account of the registrar of the court docket. He basically added a more ailment that the administration of the assets ought to be vested in a respected estate administration business, though the charm is pending prior to the Court docket of Appeal. Interestingly and notably, the defendants did not also object to or contest this further issue. In its ruling sent on February 17, the demo court, between other factors, granted a conditional stay in line with the proposals of the events. The judge designed an get to the outcome that the judgement sum and curiosity accruing on it up till the judgement should be deposited inside seven days via a bank draft in the title of the Chief Registrar of the Superior Courtroom of Lagos Condition.

He also explained that the administration of the house must be vested in a highly regarded estate business to be appointed by the Chief Registrar of the Court. Nevertheless, the defendants, it was further more learnt, introduced a second attractiveness, this time, towards the get of conditional stay granted by the trial court docket practically on the defendants’ own phrases.

The defendants’ counsel, Chief Tunde Olojo of Elubode B. Omoboriowo Esq, Shinkafi, Kusamotu, Olojo & Co, on December 9, 2019, despatched a recognize with Attractiveness No: Fit No: LD/331/2012 to the Court docket of Appeal, Lagos, a copy of which is in possession of Saturday Telegraph. They, through their legal professionals, reported they were being dissatisfied with the conclusion of the High Court docket of Lagos State, contained in the judgement by Justice Candide-Johnson, delivered on December 6, 2019.

In accordance to Counsel to Khalil: “The figured out demo judge erred in regulation when he held that 1st Respondent- Dr. C.O Williams has the locus standi to institute the action for and on behalf of the alleged deceased predecessors-in-title. The 1st respondent in the course of the trial did not convey any dying certificate to set up the demise of any of his alleged deceased predecessors-in-title. In the Recognize of Attractiveness, the 1st respondent did not also lead evidence of any probate/letter of administration as the executor/beneficiary of the estate of any of his alleged deceased predecessors-in-title. “Also, the 1st respondent did not tender any letter of Administration to demonstrate that the 3rd Appellant is a beneficiary of the estates of both equally 1st and 2nd Appellant. So, the figured out trial decide erred in regulation when he held that the 1st respondent has recognized a case of forgery versus the 1st -3rd Appellants and that the doctrine of genuineness did not avail them.” In one more twist however, Williams petitioned the Federal Government as a result of the Office environment of the Inspector Common of Law enforcement (IGP). He especially asked the IGP, Mohammad Adamu, to save him in the arms of Lebanese descendants of El-Khalil, whom, he mentioned, have refused to release his family’s property right after the expiration of their 50-calendar year-previous lease settlement. The petition also handles that of forgery, fraudulent conversion of home and obtaining through drive pretence. In the petition dated August 28, and duly signed by him, a duplicate of which was produced available to Saturday Telegraph, confirmed that he was claiming that the company of M. El-Khalil & Sons Houses Restricted solid a Deed of Transfer dated December 2, 1956, and has been saying ownership of and occupying his family’s assets considering that then based on the solid titled document. Williams similarly claimed that the firm, M. El-Khalil & Sons Properties Constrained, now managed by Francis Uzom of Frank Harden Minimal and Obinna Chima had relied on bogus declare of possession of the house to pocket large dollars managing into billions of naira in rents collection from unsuspecting tenants at the residence. “They have been attempting to promote the stated house primarily based on the reported solid title paperwork,” he even further alleged. He reported that his endeavours to warn the occupants of the property and the common public, specifically potential property purchasers about the declare of possession by M. El-Khalil & Sons Properties Minimal, have led to various threats of dying directed at him by officers of the said organization. Whilst responding to the weighty allegations, the Lebanese talking by way of their attorney, Elubode B. Omoboriowo Esq of Elubode B. Omoboriowo Esq, Shinkafi and Kusamotu Olojo & Co, dismissed the death claims allegation in his job interview with our reporter. According to him, “This is a lie that was perfectly fabricated. In truth, the allegation is not only a lie, but also untrue and baseless. It is a complete lie from the air.” Omoboriowo did not only garbage Williams’ statements on property forgery, but insisted that, “It is a fabricated lies that can’t be proven by him at the law courtroom due to the fact M. El-Khalil & Sons Qualities Confined is a organization and if he is insisting that a enterprise forged a certificate like he claimed, so why did not he arrive out and point out a director (s) or employees of the enterprise that did it in M. El-Khalil & SONS Qualities Confined and the so-termed director or staff will arrive out publicly to settle for or deny that.” The attorney discussed that the claimant has no proof of evidence to that effect as he’s working with the threat to existence as a ploy to gain sympathy following his clients shift to attractiveness the Large Court docket of Lagos Judgement. “There is no iota of real truth in that,” he extra. Omoboriowo informed our reporter that the case is previously in the Court docket of Enchantment and that it is presently slated for listening to on December 14. “We are prepared to consider it up to the Supreme Courtroom simply because our shoppers have a solid situation to upturn the judgement in their favour pursuing the trim victory that Williams is taking pleasure in about the Superior Courtroom judgement that gave him just one of the lands on the property.” On the coming December 14, Attractiveness hearing, Omoboriowo mentioned: “My clients have a powerful circumstance in opposition to him to upturn the judgement as a subject of reality. That is why we are treading the line of professionalism, the line of the law and not resorting to push, police and listed here and there. He’s the 1 that goes about conversing as outdated as he is. We are likely to upturn it by the grace of God. The circumstance is still heading to the Supreme Court docket and we are heading to overturn the first judgement it is just a trim victory he has now.” Not long ago, Williams has also complained of other alleged underhand dealings by the Lebanese. For occasion, during the period when the scenario was prior to the trial court, he stated, the defendants, beneath the guise of a bogus settlement initiative, delayed the hearing of the situation for a sizeable duration of time. He also claimed that the Lebanese at some position re-configured the house to accommodate a lot more tenants from whom rents operating into hundreds of hundreds of thousands have been gathered by the defendants. Right after the defendants ended up finished with the configuration of the house and experienced allow out the freshly extra areas to tenants, all pretences to amicable settlement of the dispute with Williams have been completed away with by them as they returned to announce to the trial courtroom that the settlement initiative failed. Yet again, though their two appeals ended up pending right before the Court docket of Attractiveness, the defendants allegedly begun boasting to the tenants in the building and the individuals in the immediate ecosystem that they ended up ready to keep the circumstance in court indefinitely by means of the enchantment process. They even pointed to the notoriously sluggish judicial approach in the region, to travel residence their level, Williams alleged. “They claimed that provided my advanced age, it is almost unattainable for me to see the finish of the case in my life time,” he even further explained to our reporter. But the threats and wishes of dying notwithstanding, Williams believes that the identical Almighty God, who kept him alive through the length of the circumstance at the demo court docket, would sustain him by way of the attractiveness procedures right until his last vindication by the Court docket of Attractiveness, and if have to have be, the Supreme Courtroom. Williams stated that he was steadfast in his perception that although the wheels of justice may possibly switch slowly but surely, they do, in truth, turn exceedingly good, saying that his faith in God and the judicial procedure experienced never ever been much better. Omoboriowo nevertheless, discussed that his clients’ enterprise has been in possession and profession of the exact property due to the fact 1966 without having any challenge or disturbance from Williams’ alleged predecessors’ intitle or the Claimant. He insisted that his business carried out a standard maintenance in the tune of N150 million for the trespass and lawful execution carried out by the Claimant and/or his brokers on the impacted property in December 2009. According to him, the Claimant lacks the locus standi to institute or begin any circumstance against them in that he is not a social gathering to any of the transactions (title documents) when signing the deed of agreement in 1953 was carried out. Assistant residence supervisor of M. El-Khalil & Sons (properties) Confined, Obinna Chima, on his part said that there is nothing in any of the paperwork put before the Court docket by Williams from whom the Court could find or infer any connection or link in between the Claimant and his alleged predecessors-in-title. This, the Lebanese’ legal professionals, agreed with, when they mentioned that this action is statute barred in that the induce of action which is challenging the authenticity of the Deed of transfer of Freehold dated November 2, 1956, arose 55 years ago. The discovered law firm argued that this accommodate amounts to an abuse of the course of action of the Courtroom in that the notices to stop and observe of owner’s intent to use to recuperate possession upon which this motion is established have been purportedly served all through the pendency of suit No LD/2144/05 (Dr. C.O. Williams vs M. El-Khalil & ORS) in which the stated fit, get-togethers and the topic subject are the similar as in the immediate accommodate and also a See of Attractiveness filed by the Claimant which has not been withdrawn. Nonetheless, a take a look at to the home in dilemma by our reporter, showed that it is a 10-storey constructing with store house ranging from N3 million to N15 million for each annum with traders of all sorts occupying the house. The traders sell primarily shoes, baggage, leather-based, clothing, jewellery equipment, and occupy each floor of the constructing.

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