Some lawyers have petitioned the Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba over the alleged role of two court sheriffs in connection with a property auction by Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

Titled “Appeal to investigate Sheriff Jinadu Mohammed & Deputy Sheriff Samuel Oniagba for perjury and fraudulent misrepresentation of facts to the Magistrates Court 5 sitting at Ajegunle, presided over by his Honour, N. A. Layeni, Esq. (Magistrate),” the petition was signed by Mr. Femi Dodo of Dodo Tafari (Legal Practitioners).

The lawyers stated that their clients – Messrs Abubakar Hammed, Chukwuma Christian, Uche Uwaezuoke and Jacob Okon – were tenants and residents of a property at Olodi, Apapa “when the property was taken over by AMCON and listed for sale.”

According to the lawyers, “Our client bided (sic) for the property and made an initial offer of N64,000,000.00 (sixty four million naira), which attracted AMCON’s response, stating that the offer was low and requested for an upward review of our offer for the property,”

The lawyers stated that though the petitioners raised their bid to N100,000,000, they never heard from AMCON again, only to hear that the property had been auctioned to one Chigozie Henry Aguguo for the sum of N80,100,000 (Eighty million and one hundred thousand naira only).

Continuing, the lawyers wrote: “When our client got to know about the sale price, our client briefed us to challenge the sale and we filed an action against AMCON, the Auctioneer, the bidders and the said Mr. Henry Aguguo which is still pending before Hon. Justice Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

“While we were defending the seven (7) suits for recovery of possession filed by AMCON, Mr. Chigozie Henry Aguguo proceeded to SECRETLY file another suit with No. MCA/2439/2022 before the Apapa Magistrates Court to recover the same premises, wherein he described our clients as “UNKNOWN OCCUPIERS” and connived with Sherriff Jinadu Mohamed, who FRAUDULENTLY deposed to affidavits of service without actually pasting the originating processes on the premises, in order to spring up a surprise of execution of Judgment on our clients.”

“After fraudulently obtaining Judgment, Mr. Chigozie Henry Aguguo filed a motion to force open the premises,” the lawyers wrote, adding that “the DEPUTY SHERRIFF SAMUEL ONIAGBA fraudulently deposed to an affidavit stating that our clients have locked the doors to the premises, despite the fact that our clients were living in the premises until the day the same DEPUTY SHERRIFF SAMUEL ONIAGBA came to execute the judgment against our clients.”

Noting that they had filed an action to set aside the judgment, the lawyers urged Justice Alogba “to investigate this complaint and recommend all person (sic) found wanting for appropriate disciplinary sanctions and prosecution for perjury.”

The Lagos State Judiciary and AMCON are yet to respond to the allegations.

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