Court Dismisses Winhomes CEO’s Suit On Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, Cites Lack Of Merit And No Proprietary Interest

The controversy surrounding the multi-billion-naira Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway has taken a decisive legal turn, as the Federal High Court struck out the suit filed by Mrs.stella Ifeoma Okengwu, Chief Executive Officer of Winhomes Global Services Limited, ruling that the action lacked merit and disclosing no reasonable cause of action.

Mrs. Okengwu had approached the court in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1803/2024, alleging that the alignment of the coastal highway was diverted into a purported Winhomes residential development located at Okun Ajah, Lagos. She publicly claimed that the project jeopardised an investment valued at over $250 million and accused the Honourable Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, of wrongdoing.

However, court filings tendered by Mrs. Okengwu herself told a markedly different story.

In the affidavit supporting the Originating summons and in subsequent filings before the Federal High Court of Nigeria, she deposed that Winhomes Global Services Limited had already sold the land in question to third parties. By that admission, the company had effectively divested its proprietary interest in the property forming the basis of the dispute.

Ruling on preliminary objections, the court held that Mrs. Okengwu and her company lacked the locus standi to institute the action, having acknowledged that they no longer held any legal interest in the land. The judge found that the plaintiffs failed to disclose a reasonable cause of action against the defendants.

The court further determined that the core complaints revolved around land use and alleged trespass matters that fall outside the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court under Section 251 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Such issues, the court noted, are ordinarily within the purview of state high courts.

The ruling effectively dismantles the foundation of the claims that had generated widespread media commentary and online debate.

Public discourse around the matter had been amplified by assertions that a fully developed estate worth hundreds of millions of dollars was being undermined. Yet, according to clarifications presented in court proceedings, what was described publicly as a “residential development” amounted to little more than a gatehouse structure without substantial development on the site.

Legal observers note that the judgment underscores a fundamental principle: a party who has divested its interest in property cannot subsequently claim injury arising from that same property.

The decision also lends judicial weight to the position maintained by the Ministry of Works that the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project is proceeding within lawful parameters as part of the Federal Government’s broader infrastructure drive under the Renewed Hope agenda.

With the suit now struck out, attention is expected to return to the execution of the coastal highway project a flagship infrastructure initiative designed to enhance connectivity, stimulate coastal economies, and attract investment along Nigeria’s southern corridor.

The court’s clarification serves as a reminder that, in matters of national importance, verified judicial findings remain the ultimate arbiter over competing public narratives.