2nd May, 2024
By Akin Kuponiyi
A group of purchasers of properties at Richmond Pearl Estate, Lekki, Lagos who made payments to Haven Global Resources Limited (also known as Haven Homes) for properties, are fighting to prevent the real estate firm from charging them further.
The purchasers say they have fully paid for the properties but Haven homes was asking them for an inflated service charge of N10 million before being given possession of their properties.
They claim that when they asked Haven Homes for a meeting to explain the inflated service charge, the firm responded with a letter increasing the amount to N14 million and threatening to sell the properties if the money was not received within seven days.
However, the purchasers, represented by Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State, brought their application for an order of injunction, in the first instance, before Justice O. Atinuke Ipaye of the Lagos High Court in suit No. LD/7841/2024.
The judge granted an order preventing Haven Global Resources Limited (Haven Homes) and its CEO, Sotayo Sonuga, their agents, servants and/or privies from “re-allocating, re-selling or selling the units, flats, apartments and blocks” of the purchasers and directing the defendants/respondents not to part with possession of the various units, flats, apartments purchased by the purchaser to any third parties”.
Parties then moved to file other applications. Haven Homes and Mr. Sonuga filed an application urging the court to lift the order as well as have an order placed on the claimants to prevent them from speaking to the press on the issue, claiming it to be defamation and libel.
But the purchasers sought to obtain an interlocutory injunction to preserve the subject matter of the suits until final determination of the case.
When the applications came up for hearing, the presiding Judge, Justice Ipaye, refused the application of Haven Homes and Sonuga to set aside the ex parte order granted earlier in favour of the purchasers.
The court also refused to grant Haven Homes’ application to seek to gag the purchasers from speaking to the press about their plight.
The court also re-emphasized and extended the life of the restraining order against Haven Homes and Sonuga.
After granting the orders, Justice Ipaye, outside the orders made, admonished Haven Homes’ counsel to advise his clients not to resort to self help and to ensure the orders of court were not violated or treated with levity.