A Lagos widow, Mrs Sarah Akinya, has dragged telecommunications giant Airtel Networks Limited and infrastructure firm ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Limited before the Lagos State High Court, demanding N232m over alleged noise pollution, structural damage and environmental nuisance caused by a telecommunications mast near her home.
Akinya is also asking the court to order the companies to dismantle and relocate the facility or stop operating it over its alleged impact on her household.
In the suit, marked LD/970/2007 and presided over by Justice Bashua, the widow accused the defendants of subjecting her family to years of noise, vibrations, smoke and fumes from a telecommunications base station installed near her residence in Okota, Lagos.
She said the problem started in April 2004, when Airtel began constructing the facility, identified as LAG 101 Base Station, on an adjoining property at 4, Alhaji Adeniran Street, off Moshobolaje Street, Okota.
According to her amended statement of claim, the installation, which comprises a telecommunications mast, heavy-duty generators, an energy reservoir and fuel storage facilities, is barely four metres from her property’s perimeter wall.
The claimant, who said she had lived in her four-bedroom bungalow since December 1995, alleged that the generators operated continuously, producing disturbing noise and vibrations that caused cracks in her building and boundary fence.
She further claimed that smoke and fumes from the installation regularly entered her home, settling on furniture and floors and raising concerns about the health of occupants.
Through her lawyer, Ajibola Ajiboye of Fadeson Legal Practice, Akinya is demanding N200m in damages over the alleged noise, vibrations, toxic smoke, noxious fumes and radiation associated with the facility.
She is claiming another N32m as general damages for alleged annoyance, discomfort, illness, inconvenience, pain and suffering.
The widow also accused the defendants of negligence over the damage to her perimeter fence.
She alleged that a trailer conveying a generator to the facility rammed into the fence, damaging part of it in an incident witnessed by maintenance operators.
Although the operators reportedly promised to repair the damaged section, Akinya claimed they failed to fulfil the commitment.
She said the weakened fence eventually collapsed during heavy rainfall, exposing her property and creating security concerns for her household.
To strengthen her case, the claimant relied on an inspection report by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), which reportedly found that noise levels around the telecommunications facility exceeded permissible limits for a residential area.
The report recorded 71 decibels at the entrance of her property and 61 decibels at a distance of five metres.
These readings were reportedly above the prescribed residential limits of 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night.
LASEPA, under its General Manager, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, reportedly directed the facility’s operators to tackle the noise pollution, install soundproofing measures, redirect exhaust pipes and comply with environmental regulations.
Akinya is relying on the agency’s findings to argue that the operations have deprived her family of the peaceful enjoyment of their property.
The legal battle took another turn on January 15, 2026, when Justice Bashua ordered the joinder of ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Limited as the second defendant.
ATC was joined on the grounds that it is currently responsible for managing and operating the telecommunications mast.
The claimant’s solicitors also reportedly wrote to ATC’s management on September 2, 2026, over the dispute, with copies of the correspondence served on the Registrar of the Lagos State High Court, Yaba Division.
The widow is asking the court to hold the companies accountable and compel them to remove the installation or stop the activities allegedly making life uncomfortable for her household.
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