Rail project dispute deepens as homeowners demand full compensation

Property owners in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, are asking the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to pay them compensation for taking over their houses during railway construction in 2018.

Five families from Adisa Estate, along Murtala Muhammed Way, were displaced and went to the Federal High Court in Lagos in 2019 to seek justice.

The families are:

Oba Akinola Ovetade Akinrera

Alhaja Aisha Aminu Gwadabe

Alhaja Sadiat Abduiazeez

Mr. Justin Ajufo

Mr. Ayodele Joseph Ojo

On May 9, 2023, Justice Y. Bogoro ruled that the NRC took the houses without following due process. The court said the action violated the owners’ rights and awarded N10 million in damages.

According to the judge, NRC officials and more than 100 armed policemen entered the properties on October 10, 2018, without giving the owners any notice. This was declared a breach of Sections 43 and 44(1)(a) of the Constitution and Article 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Before the court case, the Ministry of Transportation had hired Dupe Longe and Associates, through the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), to assess 19 affected properties and pay compensation. But five of the homeowners refused the initial payment offered.

NRC spokesperson, Adeyinka Aderibigbe, said two of the five families have now agreed to collect their money.

However, the families’ lawyer, Akeem Aponmade, said his clients want the full amount they deserve.

In a letter sent to the NRC on October 9, 2025, Aponmade demanded N154.25 million for the five families based on earlier valuation reports. He said the compensation due to them had already been properly calculated by a certified valuer.

The case shows the ongoing struggle between government development projects and the rights of citizens whose properties are affected. Many displaced residents continue to seek fair treatment and compensation for properties taken for public projects.