Lagos, Nigeria — Residents of Modupe Johnson Crescent in Surulere, Lagos, have issued a public warning to prospective property buyers against any dealings involving a 36-unit multi-storey residential estate allegedly under construction on the premises of Gbaja Boys High School.
The Incorporated Trustees of Modupe Johnson Crescent Residents’ Association released a Caveat Emptor notice dated September 21, 2026, through their counsel, Imran O. Shitta-Bey of S. A. Shitta-Bey & Co.
The notice states that the disputed development is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit marked LD/6333LM/2026 before the High Court of Lagos State, Lagos Judicial Division. Defendants include the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) and eight others.
According to the association, residents are challenging what they describe as the alleged takeover of school land and its conversion into a private residential estate. They allege the project constitutes unauthorised construction, trespass, encroachment, and interference with land designated for educational purposes.
The development is reportedly situated on the edge of a canal within the school grounds and is being carried out without several required regulatory approvals, including planning permission, an approved building plan, Environmental Impact Assessment clearance, drainage alignment clearance, Traffic Impact Assessment clearance, and authorisation from the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.
The residents are seeking 16 reliefs from the court. These include orders directing the relevant authorities to permanently seal the construction site and remove structures allegedly erected on the disputed land, as well as a declaration that any disregard of previous stop-work and seal-up orders amounts to unlawful acts and abuse of office.
Invoking the doctrine of lis pendens, the association warned that any purchase, lease, mortgage, joint venture, or further development involving the land while the suit remains pending would be undertaken entirely at the buyer’s own risk.
The group noted that its legal standing had already been recognised in an earlier related suit (LD/5840LM/2025). In that matter, the High Court granted pre-emptive injunctions on January 27, 2026, and later, on March 18, 2026, affirmed that the association, as representatives of the affected community, had demonstrated a threatened legal right deserving of protection.
Residents have therefore urged members of the public, financial institutions, corporate bodies, and real estate operators to refrain from any transactions connected to the disputed development until the ongoing litigation is fully determined.
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