Veteran Nigerian comedian, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba, has been evicted from his Victoria Island property in Lagos following a court ruling.
Ali Baba and his company, XQZMOI TV, were removed from the property after a writ of possession signed by the Federal High Court on August 15, 2025, was executed.
The property had been sold to the comedian by the Federal Government in 2021 for N220 million through the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
The corporation said the sale was part of efforts to recover debts allegedly owed by Harold Expansion Industries Nigeria Limited.
However, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, in a ruling delivered on July 31, 2025, dismissed AMCON’s claims, stating that the corporation failed to provide credible evidence of the debt it cited.
The court ordered that the property be returned to its original owner and further imposed N500 million in damages against AMCON for wrongful possession and disposal of the asset.
Ali Baba’s liability in the case stemmed from the timing of his purchase. He was said to have acquired the property while the case was still before the court, despite an existing preservation order restraining its sale.
Prior to the disputed purchase, Ali Baba was a tenant in the property under the original ownership before AMCON’s intervention and subsequent eviction of the landlord.
The latest ruling effectively nullifies the comedian’s ownership, leaving him and his company displaced from the prime Victoria Island residence.