Ali Baba Loses Luxury Mansion To AMCON Court Ruling
By Atume Terfa
Veteran comedian Ali Baba (Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome) has lost his luxury Victoria Island home after a Federal High Court voided the sale of the property he purchased from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
On August 15, 2025, court bailiffs enforced a writ of possession, which resulted in Ali Baba and his company, XQZMOI TV, being evicted from the residence at 324A Akin Ogunlewe Street, Victoria Island. The move came just two weeks after Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa ruled that the 2021 sale of the mansion was unlawful.
The court held that AMCON failed to present adequate documentation to justify its repossession of the property, including a formal statement of account, and also ignored a counterclaim from Harold Expansion Industries Nigeria Limited, the original owner’s company.
As a result, the judge not only voided the ₦220 million transaction but also ordered the property returned to the original owner’s family and imposed ₦500 million in damages against AMCON.
Ali Baba’s woes stem from the fact that he purchased the house while ownership litigation was ongoing and a preservation order was in place. Legal analysts point out that the entertainer, who had previously lived in the property as a tenant before AMCON’s intervention, effectively stepped into a legal minefield by purchasing it during an active dispute.
The case has reignited scrutiny of AMCON’s distressed-asset sales, exposing systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s asset recovery framework. Experts warn that the judgment serves as a cautionary tale: even high-profile buyers risk eviction if due diligence collides with unresolved court battles.
