LAGOS, Nigeria—A group of indigenes from Ibeju-Lekki has taken legal action against the Lagos State government, seeking clarity on a $100 million payment allegedly made by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote to acquire land for his refinery.
The lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, accuses the state of failing to account for the full amount.
Only $1.4 million is reflected in the government’s accounts, leaving $98.6 million unaccounted for.
The plaintiffs, under the Ibeju-Lekki People’s Forum and De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, a non-governmental organization, claim that Dangote’s July statement contradicts previous assertions that the land was given to him without charge.
In the statement, Dangote said he paid $100 million for the 7,000 acres where his refinery now stands, while local communities had been led to believe the land was allocated as a gift for development purposes.
The lawsuit names Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state attorney-general, the accountant-general, and the permanent secretary of the lands bureau as respondents.
The affected communities are calling for transparency, demanding proof of the alleged payment and an explanation for the missing funds.
“About 48 communities affected by the allocation on the coastal line of Ibeju-Lekki were displaced by the activities of Dangote and his company, and the subsequent destruction of their means of livelihood,” the plaintiffs stated in affidavits attached to the suit.
The lawsuit highlights a discrepancy between Dangote’s claim and former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola’s earlier announcement.
According to Yakubu Eleto, a youth leader and adviser to the plaintiffs, Fashola had told a gathering of traditional rulers that the land was gifted to Dangote.
Eleto claims that this led the communities to accept the loss of their land in exchange for promises of development.
“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, the project will be taken to another part of the state like Badagry,” Eleto stated in the affidavit.
Despite this, Dangote’s assertion of a $100 million purchase has come as a surprise to the local population, who allege they have yet to see the benefits of such a transaction.
They continue to live without basic amenities such as electricity, water, and good roads, while their environment suffers from industrial activity.
“There are speculations from some quarters that only $1.4 million reflected in the state’s accounts concerning the transaction, and up till now, the applicants are yet to know where the remaining $98.6 million is being kept,” the suit alleges.
The plaintiffs claim their repeated efforts to obtain documentation from the government have been ignored, with the respondents failing to address their correspondence.
The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling the Lagos State government to provide full disclosure of the alleged $100 million payment and the details of the land acquisition.
The case is expected to test the Lagos government’s commitment to transparency and the rights of indigenous communities in one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing industrial zones.
Representatives for the Lagos State government and Dangote Group have yet to comment on the lawsuit.
