An Ikeja High Court presided over by Justice A. Akinkugbe has ordered parties in the ongoing dispute over a property located at Ikeja to maintain peace pending the determination of the suit before the court.

The court gave the directive, asking for peace to be maintained between a travels and tourism firm, Peacock Travels and Tours Limited and its landlord, Jude Ekwenife.

Peacock had dragged Ekwenife to court, claiming N10m over alleged harassment and damages of its properties.

Justice Akinkugbe adjourned the matter till May 19, 2015, while ordering the counsel to both parties to advise their clients against any action that would threaten the court with contempt.

Joined as defendant in the suit is Mrs. Yinka Igandan who claimed to be the former landlady to Peacock before she sold the property and transferred ownership to Ekwenife.

According to the applicant, Ekwenife, after purchasing the property at No. 136 Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos, allegedly refused to recognise Peacock as his tenant and had therefore ordered the firm to pack out even while its annual rent was still subsisting.

The firm alleged that on July 15, 2014, “suspected thugs and other hirelings in the company of the 1st respondents invaded the business premises of the applicant and proceeded to demolish parts of the structure and in the process destroyed the petitioner’s Internet connection hardware and water tanks.”

Internet connection hardware

The firm further alleged that in a bid to forcefully eject it, the first defendant caused a tipper load of gravel to be offloaded right at its office entrance, thus humiliating the firm before its clients and making  it difficult to carry out its daily business.

According to the firm’s Senior Human Resources Manager, Owoade Akinjide, efforts by the police .

Apart from N10million damages, Peacock is praying the court to restrain Ekwenife from ejecting it forcefully.

The firm is seeking a declaration that there is a tenant-landlord agreement between it and Ekwenife.

But Ekwenife has urged the court to decline jurisdiction over the matter and to declare that the applicant had no locus standi to institute the action.

In a counter-affidavit deposed to by himself, Ekwenife denied being the purchaser of the property, and insisted that Chief Segun Phillips, the rather than Peacock was the recognised tenant on the property.

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