A State High Court Sitting in Akure Ondo state on Friday, restrained the state government from demolishing structures at the state Trade Fair Complex situated along Igbatoro road, in the state capital.
This is just as the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state government traded words over the pool landed demolition of the complex.
In a suit filed by the Counsel to the claimants, Olumide Ogidan, on behalf of the occupants who prayed for an interim injunction to forestall further demolition of the structures at the complex.
Ogidan prayed the court to restrain the defendants from going on with the demolition pending the hearing of the application for an interlocutory injunction Ogidan told the court that “The main idea of this suit is against the purported quick notice served to the occupants of the trade fair complex who have existing lease agreement with the government and who have also been renewing their tenancy and leases.
“Some of them pay as far as February this year but surprisingly to their shock, they were served a notice to quit, dated March 24, 2022, informing them of the need to vacate the facilities they are occupying, on the grounds that the government tends to demolish the entire trade fair complex because they have an investor to give the place to.
“We feel that this is inappropriate because majority of these occupants have a existing leases and tenancy agreement with the government and some of them have just renewed the said rent and the government is not talking about compensation.
He listed the defendants in the case to include, the Ondo State government, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice as well as the Commissioner for Commerce, Investment and Corporative Services.
However, in his judgement, Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye, granted the application restraining the defendants from going on with the demolition pending the hearing of application for interlocutory injunction which will come up on the 25 of April 2022.