Ibeju Lekki Indigenes sue Lagos State Govt Over Dangote’s $100m Refinery Land Purchase

The Ibeju-Lekki People’s Forum and De Renaissance Patriots Foundation have instituted a suit against the Lagos State Government seeking details of the alleged $100m paid by Aliko Dangote for the acquisition of the land used for his refinery.

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Contrary to the notion that the land was given free of charge, Dangote had in July claimed that his company paid the Lagos State Government $100m to acquire the 7,000 acres where the refinery sits.

The 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), refinery, which is the largest single train and the 7th biggest refinery in the world, is located in the Ibeju-Lekki area of the state.

In the suit filed before a Federal High Court in Lagos, the applicants are seeking the court to compel the Lagos State Government to provide details of the said $100m payment.

Listed as respondents in the suit are: Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the Lagos State Attorney-General, Lagos State Accountant-General and the state’s Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau.

The lead counsel to the applicants, Yakubu Eleto, said about 48 communities affected by the allocation were displaced by the activities of Dangote and his company.

“That immediately the work on the refinery commenced, the natives of the host communities challenged the project managers and some officers of government for siting such laudable project on their soil without payment of compensation,” Eleto said in the affidavits attached to the suit.

He recalled that a former governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola while addressing a gathering of Obas and chiefs in Ibeju-Lekki sometime in 2015, had said the land was gifted to Dangote.

“He said the land where Dangote refinery is sitting on today was gifted to him by the Lagos State Government, and that if Ibeju-Lekki indigenes aren’t careful that the project will be taken to another part of the state like Badagry,” Eleto said.

“That pursuant to the above address by the then Executive Governor, the indigenes of the community accepted the plea of Government by maintaining peace and taking the 7000 Acres of land allocated to Dangote as a swap for development.”

He explained that despite the claim of $100m payment by Dangote, the affected communities do not have basic social amenities.

“That despite the claim of purchase of the land from the 5th Respondents, the over 48 Communities affected by the sale of land to Dangote don’t have access to basic social amenities; electricity, pipe borne water, good roads, schools, employment and they have also been exposed to serious environmental threats,” the affidavits read.

“That till the time of filling this suit, the office of the 1st Respondents acting for the remainder of the respondents refused to respond to Applicants’ correspondence.

“That there are speculations from some quarters that only $1,400,000 that reflected on the account of the 5th Respondents concerning the said transaction and up till now, the applicants are yet to know where the remaining 98,600,000:00USD are being kept.

“That all efforts to get a copy of the full information on the alleged claim of purchase of about 7000 acres of land proved futile despite persistent demand for the documents showing the inflow of the money to the 5th respondent’s account.”

“That till date the respondents have neither honoured the said letter nor oblige us with a copy of the full information on the alleged claim of purchase of about 7000 acres of land despite our demands.”