An Ikeja High Court has restrained the management of Lagos Trade Fair Management Board from trespassing into a portion of the complex leased to Portman Limited, a freight services company.
Justice A. M. Lawal, made the restraining order vide an ex-parte motion filed and argued by counsel to Portman Freight Services Limited, Dr. D. A. Awosika, SAN.
Claimants/Applicants, Portman, which has been engaged in a running battle with Trade Fair Management over a portion of the complex on which it maintains it has a subsisting lease agreement, had sought a pre-emptive order of injunction against four defendants, including Lagos International Trade Fair Management Board, and it’s Executive-Director, Mrs Vera Safiya Ndanusa.
Other defendants are the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the presiding minister.
“The respondents are restrained by themselves and howsoever from trespassing, going into, demolishing, or any way tampering with the property measuring 6.7 hectares, lying and being at, along Lagos International Trade Fair Complex…” the court ruled.
Justice Lawal thereby directed the police to “provide security and maintain peace on the property,” and adjourned the matter to June 26th, 2025.
The enrollment order was dated April 28th, 2025.
Portman Freight Services Limited has consistently raised concerns over alleged forceful disruption of its businesses, and unlawful encroachment and acquisition of a section of the complex leased to it by the Trade Fair Management.
The freight company asserts that it holds a subsisting right of possession, derived from a legally binding agreement, but elements within the Board have made it impossible for it to freely utilise the leased facility.
Our correspondents’ investigations revealed that Portman Freight Service Limited had raised concerns over what it described as the forceful disruption and unlawful acquisition of its leased land by the management of the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex (LITFC).
The Freight company said that despite its right of possession and a legally binding agreement, it has been obstructed from utilising the land for its intended purposes.
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE)had in 2023, facilitated a tripartite agreement between Portman Freight Service Limited and LITFC, granting Portman Freight a lease on a section of the complex.
During the signing, BPE’s Director-General, Mr. Alex A. Okoh, emphasised that the agreement marked a significant step towards increasing the earnings of LITFC and the federal government through standardised lease agreements.
Okoh further clarified that under the Privatisation and Commercialisation Act (1999), the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) had originally approved the concession of LITFC to Aulic Nigeria Limited in 2007.
However, the concession was revoked in 2017 due to Aulic’s failure to meet contractual obligations, leading to the repossession of the enterprise by the LITFC Management Board and the initiation of a fresh re-concession process.
During the re-concession process, it was discovered that Portman Freight Services Limited had a pre-existing 20-year lease agreement for Hall 4 with Aulic before the later’s concession was terminated.
Despite this, LITFC has reportedly prevented Portman Freight from developing structures on the leased 6.7-hectare land.
