The Ekiti state governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has been dragged before an Ado Ekiti High Court by owners of properties at the Irewolede Estate in Ado Ekiti for pains inflicted on them by the government after they were forcefully evicted from their homes by the government.
It was gathered that they were evicted for allegedly defaulting in their mortgage payments and have in lieu sued Fayose, claiming N20 million damages.
The claimants, who were evicted by the Ekiti State Government two weeks ago for failing to make full payments for their mortgages within the stipulated time, were however, allowed to return to their homes after an intervention by traditional rulers in the state.
In a suit number HAD/22/2015, filed by their counsel, Rafiu Balogun, at an Ado Ekiti High Court, the Irewolede Estate Landlords through their chairman, Ayo Orebe, and 17 others sought an order for the payment of N20 million as aggravated and exemplary damages for “trespass, humiliation, assault and degrading treatment meted out to them by the defendants”.
The Attorney General of Ekiti State, the Ekiti State Housing Corporation, Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, and Ekiti State Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were joined as defendants respectively.
They also sought a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants either by themselves or by their agents, servants, workers, officers and men of the 3rd and 4th Defendants from ejecting or disturbing of further disturbing them as they had not committed any breach of purchase/mortgage agreement until the agreement was determined by court.
The landlords further prayed the court to declare that the acts of Ekiti State Government and 2nd Defendant by forcibly entering into the estate, assaulting the claimants, locking them out using the officers and men of the 3rd and 4th defendants and political thugs “amounted to a breach of context and tortuous acts of assault and trespass.”
They urged the court to declare “that the purchase/mortgage agreement entered into with the 2nd Defendant in respect of their houses located in the estate as contained in their respective letters of offer is subsisting and government and Housing Corporation a duty bound to honour same.”
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