The Nigerian Supreme Court has come to the aid of landlords and property owners who have long struggled with uncooperative tenants exploiting technicalities to avoid eviction.

The apex court’s decision in Pillars Nigeria Limited vs. William Kojo Desbordes & Anor (2021) LPELR-55200 (SC) has set a new precedent that filing a writ for possession is sufficient notice to tenants, even if the initial notice to quit was irregular.

Justice Ogunwumiju, delivering the unanimous judgment, stated, “The ruse of faulty notice used by tenants to perpetuate possession in a house or property which the landlord had slaved to build and relies on for means of sustenance cannot be sustained in any just society under the guise of adherence to any technical rule.”

The ruling stemmed from a case where the tenant, Pillars Nigeria Limited, had breached the lease agreement from the outset but continued to pursue appeals through all levels of the court system to frustrate the judgment of the trial court delivered nearly two decades ago.

The Supreme Court held that the filing of an action by the landlord to regain possession of the property serves as adequate notice to the tenant to yield up possession, regardless of any irregularity in the initial notice to quit.
This decision is expected to expedite the resolution of landlord-tenant disputes and curb the abuse of legal technicalities by tenants seeking to unjustly retain possession of properties.