Renowned Nigerian comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, professionally known as Ali Baba, has been forcibly removed from a luxury Victoria Island mansion following a Federal High Court ruling that the property was unlawfully sold to him by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
Court bailiffs executed the eviction order on Thursday, August 28, 2025, at No. 324A, Akin Ogunlewe Street, Victoria Island, ending the entertainer’s four-year occupancy of the oceanfront estate that also housed his entertainment company headquarters, XQZMOI TV Studios.
The contested property, featuring twin duplexes with Atlantic Ocean views, was purchased by Ali Baba in 2021 for ₦220 million from AMCON. However, the Federal High Court determined that the sale occurred while ownership litigation was still pending, making the transaction illegal.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa signed the writ of possession on August 15, 2025, ordering the property’s return to the family of its deceased original owner and their company, Harold Expansion Industries Nigeria Limited.
The legal battle stems from alleged debts owed by Harold Expansion Industries to the now-defunct Bank PHB (currently Keystone Bank). AMCON claimed the company owed ₦617 million, citing three separate loan facilities totalling ₦110 million between 2008 and 2009.
However, the company disputed these claims through their legal counsel, Benjamin Olayiwola Sadibo, arguing that their ₦129 million facility had been restructured in 2009 with automatic repayment deductions by the bank.
Family sources allege that AMCON’s forceful eviction of the original property owner, giving the family less than five hours to vacate, contributed to the businessman’s subsequent death due to the traumatic experience.
In a significant judgment delivered on July 31, 2015, Justice Lewis-Allagoa dismissed AMCON’s debt claims, ruling that the corporation failed to provide crucial evidence to support their case.
“The plaintiff, being an alleged creditor, has a duty not only to parade loan documents but also to demonstrate how it arrived at the alleged debt. Its failure to produce the statement of account is fatal to its case,” the judge stated, citing Section 131(1) of the Evidence Act 2011.
The court ordered AMCON to return the property, release all title documents, and pay ₦500 million in damages to Harold Expansion Industries.
Legal experts view this ruling as a potential precedent for other property disputes involving AMCON, while property rights advocates have celebrated it as a victory against what they describe as the corporation’s aggressive recovery methods.
At the time of publication, Ali Baba had not issued any official statement regarding the eviction, and attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.
The case represents one of the most high-profile property disputes involving AMCON in recent years, highlighting ongoing concerns about the corporation’s asset recovery practices and the importance of due process in property transactions.
