Lagos socialite Gail Fajembola filed a suit against police harassment over a property dispute, alleging police abuse of power

A Lagos-based socialite, Gail Fajembola, has initiated a fundamental rights enforcement suit before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

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She seeks judicial intervention over what she has described as continuous threats, harassment, and intimidation.

These actions are allegedly orchestrated by the Nigeria Police Force on behalf of private individuals, raising concerns about law enforcement conduct.

In the suit, marked FHC/L/CS/2025, and filed by her counsel, Akin Apara of BA LAW LLP, the applicant is asking the court for a declaration.

She seeks a declaration that the police possess no lawful authority to interfere in a purely civil dispute.

This particular dispute concerns the possession of an apartment, specifically Flat K9-2, Ocean Parade Towers, located in Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, a high-value property.

The respondents named in the legal action include the Inspector General of Police, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (Zone 2), and the Commissioner of Police (Lagos State Command).

Additionally, one Ogbonna Nweke, Olutoyl Estate Development & Services Ltd, and prominent businessman Tunde Ayeni are listed as respondents in the ongoing legal proceedings, highlighting the multi-party nature of this Lagos Socialite Police Dispute.

Fajembola is urgently urging the court to hold a specific declaration. She seeks the court to rule that “any attempt or threat by the police to arrest, detain, or otherwise interfere with my liberty or dignity on account of a private civil disagreement is unconstitutional, unlawful, and an abuse of police powers.”

This fundamental rights application seeks to define the limits of police involvement in civil matters.

She is also specifically seeking an order of perpetual injunction. This order would restrain the first to fourth respondents, who are the police authorities, from further interfering with her constitutionally guaranteed rights.

These rights include personal liberty, dignity of the human person, and freedom of movement, all enshrined under Sections 35(1), 36, 41(1), and 46(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), affirming her constitutional protections.

Additionally, she is asking the court to award a substantial sum of N50 million in damages.

This compensation is sought for what she terms “unlawful and unconstitutional interference with my rights through threats, harassment, and police intimidation.”

The claim for damages underscores the severity of the alleged violations she has endured, amplifying the Lagos Socialite Police Dispute.

In a detailed 10-paragraph affidavit supporting the originating motion, deposed to by Olawale Arowosaye, a litigation clerk at BA LAW LLP, the court received crucial information.

It was informed that the underlying dispute originated from a soured personal relationship between the applicant, Gail Fajembola, and the sixth respondent, Mr. Tunde Ayeni, forming the genesis of this complex case.

According to the affidavit, “Mr Ayeni allowed the applicant to take possession of the apartment in 2016.”

It further states that she spent a significant sum, $45,792 of her personal funds, to furnish the property.

She subsequently resided there until her relocation to the United Kingdom in 2019, establishing her prior occupancy and investment.

Following her relocation abroad, the apartment was temporarily utilised as an Airbnb property. Later, in 2022, it was leased to Expand Global Industries Ltd for a term of one year.

The applicant firmly maintains that this lease agreement was executed with the full knowledge and explicit verbal consent of the sixth respondent, Mr. Tunde Ayeni, her former associate.

However, upon the breakdown of their personal relationship, the applicant alleges that Mr. Ayeni and Olutoyl Estate Development & Services Ltd. began making insistent demands.

They demanded that she evict the current tenant and subsequently surrender possession of the highly valued property, escalating the Lagos Socialite Police Dispute into a confrontational one.

Fajembola stated forcefully in her affidavit, “Rather than pursue lawful eviction through the courts, the 5th and 6th respondents turned to the police to exert unlawful pressure on me, my agent, and the tenant.”

This accusation highlights her core grievance regarding the alleged misuse of police authority in a civil matter, leading to the Lagos Socialite Police Dispute.

She contends that the Nigeria Police Force proceeded to summon her and others to their offices.

There, she alleges, they were subjected to harassment and intimidation, actions she views as exceeding police mandate in such a civil dispute.

These alleged tactics form a central part of her fundamental rights application against the authorities.

I wish to state categorically that I have never been arrested or detained by the police and at no point did I claim ownership of the property or purport to sell it. Those reports are false and malicious.

Fajembola further averred that she was never actually arrested or detained by the police, directly contradicting various media reports that had suggested otherwise.

She sought to clarify the record. “I wish to state categorically that I have never been arrested or detained by the police and at no point did I claim ownership of the property or purport to sell it. Those reports are false and malicious,” she affirmed, rebutting public claims.

Fajembola informed the court that she formally handed over the apartment to Mr. Ayeni and the real estate firm in April 2025.

She stated that she left behind the household appliances and furnishings she had acquired within the property.

She insists that she has since moved on completely from the property but continues to be subjected to threats and harassment, despite vacating the premises.

According to her, “The ongoing pressure from the respondents, including unwarranted police involvement and negative media narratives, has made it unsafe for me to visit Lagos and has caused me considerable emotional and psychological distress.”

This illustrates the personal toll she claims the ongoing dispute has exacted on her well-being.

She specifically prayed the court to declare that the use of the police to settle private civil disputes, especially involving property matters, constitutes a violation of her rights and must be stopped.

This request seeks a landmark ruling to define boundaries of police action in such cases.

Meanwhile, Olutoyl Estate Development & Services Ltd, through its lawyer, Legal Resources Alliance, has submitted a formal petition to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun.

The petition accuses Fajembola of fraudulently converting and leasing out a luxury apartment. This apartment is located at Flat K9-2, Ocean Parade Towers, Banana Island, Lagos, forming the core of the Lagos Socialite Police Dispute.

The petition, dated 13th June 2025, alleges that Ms. Fajembola unlawfully took possession of the high-end apartment.

She subsequently sublet it to third-party tenants without proper consent, generating rental income estimated to exceed N100 million.

This counterclaim presents a different narrative of the events surrounding the property’s use.

According to the petition, “Ms Gail Fajembola was initially permitted to reside in the apartment strictly on humanitarian grounds. This act of kindness was extended to her by our client after she claimed to be homeless and without shelter.”

This statement contrasts sharply with Fajembola’s claims of a soured personal relationship as the basis for her occupancy.

The legal representatives of Olutoyl Estate Development & Services Ltd emphasised that the accommodation granted to Fajembola was never intended to confer any tenancy rights.

Furthermore, it was never intended to authorise her to lease the property to others.

This clarification directly challenges her claim of having consent to lease the property, deepening the Lagos Socialite Police Dispute.

“Our client has now uncovered what appears to be a calculated and sustained scheme,” the petition reads.

“Through her company, GIF Energy Resources Limited, Ms. Fajembola leased out the apartment for over three years, collecting substantial rental payments without the knowledge or authorisation of the rightful owner.”

This suggests a deliberate plan to profit from the property without legitimate rights.

The petitioner accused Fajembola of fraudulently converting the property for personal financial gain.

They stated that the unauthorised leasing has not only resulted in significant economic losses for the company but has also caused considerable reputational harm to the estate development firm.

This paints a picture of deliberate deceit and exploitation.

“It is shocking that someone who was granted access purely out of compassion would proceed to commercialise that access and exploit the property for personal enrichment,” the petition continued, expressing dismay at her alleged actions.

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The document, formally titled “Re: Petition Against Gail Fajembola and GIF Energy Resources Limited for Fraudulent Conversion and Unauthorised Leasing of Apartment K9-2, Ocean Parade, Banana Island, Lagos,” was formally acknowledged by the Office of the Inspector General of Police on 17th June 2025, indicating official attention to the complaint.