…Despite Matter Pending in Court
… Husband and Police Refute Claims
Juliana Francis
A heartbroken woman, Mrs Augustina Johnson-boyi, has appealed to the Inspector General of Police, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, and various women’s rights groups for intervention, after an enforcement team allegedly stormed her home, cleared out her belongings, and left her stranded on the streets, allegedly on the orders of her estranged, UK-based husband, Mr Oris Johnson-boyi.
Augustina claimed the operation was carried out illegally while she was away from the property, located at No. 95 Badwari Road, Ajah, Lagos State.
According to her, the residential house is currently the subject of an active legal battle before the Court of Appeal in Asaba.
She alleges that the eviction crew consisted of suspected hired thugs, members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), and individuals identifying themselves as police officers.
Our reporter reached out to her estranged husband, Oris, contacted Oris’s lawyer, Theresa Ovuru, and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Langbasa Police, a Chief Superintendent of Police, Mr Dele Adeyoju; all claimed that Augustina was lying.
Recounting the ordeal of being moved out of the building, Augustina explained that she received a frantic phone call from concerned neighbours on that fateful day, informing her that some individuals had begun packing her things out of the house without prior notification.
She immediately rushed back to the scene by motorcycle.
“When I arrived, I found that they had already driven out the 15-year-old girl who was living with me,” Augustina said. “I met some of my belongings outside, but not much. They told me they were taking my things somewhere. When I asked where, they said they didn’t know and told me to call my husband.”
The situation escalated rapidly as Augustina demanded to see legal authorisation for the eviction.
“To be sincere, I started fighting them,” she stated. “I demanded to see their letter of inspection or whatever legal document authorised them to come there. There was a policewoman there, so I asked her for the letter and inquired where the officers were deployed from. I took a photograph of the policewoman and another man who was wearing what looked like an army uniform.”
Augustina alleged that she was physically restrained when she attempted to access the house to retrieve money kept in her wardrobe.
Upon breaking free and running upstairs, she allegedly encountered her ex-husband’s girlfriend inside the apartment.
“I confronted her and said, ‘I don’t understand. This matter is still in the Court of Appeal. What judgment are you people using to remove everything from this place?” Augustina recounted.
She added that neighbours and bystanders were threatened with arrest by the enforcement team if they attempted to film the incident.
The confrontation ended with Augustina being arrested and taken to the Langbasa Police Station after she attempted to block the exit to protect her remaining property. While at the station, she lost consciousness and later woke up at a local medical centre.
“When I opened my eyes, I asked, ‘What am I doing here?’ They told me the DPO had ordered them to bring me to the centre,” she said. “However, the people at the hospital and others told me the DPO said I should not come back, stating they had finished what they came for.”
According to Augustina, upon inquiring further with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), she was told that the police were acting on information that she refused to vacate the premises.
“I explained to the DPO that I was not pleased with the initial judgment, which is why I appealed it,” Augustina said, noting that her husband had initially secured a lower court judgment in Asaba ordering him to pay her N5million, a sum she rejected as insufficient given her personal investments into building the property.
“I used my own money and time to build that property and the shop there. How could I just lose everything like that? We were married, and it shouldn’t just end like this.”
Currently, Augustina said she has been left with nothing but the clothes on her back, while OPC members have been stationed at the compound to block her access.
Her vehicle remains trapped inside the compound, and the locks to the flat have reportedly been changed.
Reacting to the allegations, Oris said everything Augustina claimed was a pack of lies.
He explained that they had been divorced since 2004 and that the disputed building belonged to him following a court judgement, but Augustina had refused to comply with the court injunction.
Instead, she continued to reside in the building and collected rent from his tenants.
He also alleged that Augustina refused to grant him access to the building, although his clothes and personal property were still inside.
He added, “She refuses to let me enter my property and picks fights whenever she sees me. On the day in question, it was my lawyer who went there with the court bailiffs; I was not present. She bit my lawyer. It has been six months since the court order was issued, but she still refuses to leave. I have paid her N5million in two tranches, which she returned.”
Oris’s lawyer, Ovuru, said a court order from the High Court of Delta State dissolving the marriage between Oris Johnson Boyi and Augustina Boyi was executed.
The lawyer confirmed that judgment was delivered on November 18, 2024, ordering Oris to rent a two-bedroom apartment for Augustina for two years and pay her ₦5,000,000.
Oris complied with both conditions, but Augustina returned the money on two separate occasions, signalling her intention to appeal the ruling.
Her application for a stay of execution was subsequently filed before the Delta State High Court but was struck out on October 7, 2025.
“The Decree Nisi became absolute thirteen days later, on October 20, 2025,” said Ovuru.
The lawyer explained that with the marriage legally dissolved, the required documents for registering the judgment in another jurisdiction were issued by the Delta court, and the judgment was registered in Lagos State on January 27, 2026.
Ovuru noted that no application for a stay of execution is currently pending before the Court of Appeal, adding that the filing of a Notice of Appeal alone does not halt enforcement proceedings under Nigerian law.
She disclosed that on May 7, 2026, the judgment was enforced when an Order for Forceful Entry, issued on April 27, 2026, was executed jointly by the Sheriff of the Lagos State High Court and officers of the Nigeria Police Force to recover possession of the property.
Ovuru disclosed that, “the Sheriff had made several prior visits to the property but was denied entry on each occasion before the forceful execution was carried out.”
DPO Adeyoju stated that the police team, which arrived with court bailiffs to execute a court order, was from the Delta State Command and not from his division. He also clarified that Augustina was not touched, let alone assaulted.
He explained that the heated quarrel over the disputed building was not the first such incident between the couple.
He noted that in December of the previous year, Augustina and the other party had come to the station, where he observed that Augustina was bleeding and that the windscreens of a car brought to the station had been smashed.
The DPO stated: “The husband said he had a court order to take possession of his building, but his estranged wife refused him access. I learned during that first visit that the matter was before the courts. I advised Augustina at the time to go and seek medical treatment. I expected them to return after she had been treated and after the damaged car had been dealt with, but no one came back.
“Fast forward to April 2026; I received a call that police officers on court duty had been attacked. When Augustina was brought to the station, she had no visible injuries; I saw her myself. The police team had come from the Delta State Police Command.
“Augustina was brought to the station because she had bitten one of the police officers. She even apologised for it. She was detained for only two hours and was then allowed to leave for medical attention, as she said she was not feeling well. She left for the hospital and never returned. The court bailiffs and police team were simply carrying out the lawful execution of a court order.” #Securitynewsalert.com
