The Minister of the Federal Capital Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has ordered the demolition of a property next door to the Abuja residence of the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
TheHintsNews reports that disputation over the land commenced last year, precisely on October 4, when the former Minister of the FCT, Muhammad Bello, and officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) abruptly invaded the property.
Nevertheless, a day after the invasion, on October 5, the then Minister gave an order to the FCDA sealing off the property and also deposited a detachment of mobile policemen to lock out construction workers from gaining entry into the property.
The property, which is owned by Shrodder Nigeria Limited, is located at the Cadastral Zone of the Maitama District.
Against this background, the owners of the property caused a legal action of trespass and unlawful occupation against the Minister of the FCT and the FCDA.
The law suit was filed on October 10, 2022 in suit number FCT/HC/CV/3449/2022: SHRODDER NIGERIA LIMITED & 1 OR vs MINISTER OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY & 1 OR, before Justice Abubakar Musa of High Court of the FCT.
Controversy over the demolition had been brought to the attention of President Bola Tinubu.
The sealing off of the property according to documents was without prior notice of infraction.
The judgement on the case was entered on April 4, this year in favour of the complainant.
The trial judge ruled, “That an order of perpetual injunction is hereby made restraining the defendants from further interfering with the 1st Claimant’s lawful use, quiet possession, occupation of the plot.
“That the forceful take over and occupation by the defendants of the plot on the 5th day of October 2022 constitutes an act of trespass.
“That the defendants are hereby ordered to vacate with immediate effect, the Claimant’s property, unseal the property and to remove forthwith the mobile policemen they had unlawfully and illegally installed on the property since on the 5th day of October, 2022.”
The Justice Musa further stipulated penalties in damages in favour of the Claimants.
It was gathered that neither the Minister of the FCT nor the FCDA appealed the judgment of the High Court.
Although the FCDA refused to comply with the order of the court in removing the seal order on the property, a new twist was made to the controversy when, last week Tuesday, September 19, the new Minister of the FCT, Wike invaded the property with bulldozers to bring it down.
The action by Wike was devoid of a prior notice of demolition and in direct violation of the April 4, 2023 ruling of a court on the matter.
The expansive property, which is a next-door neighbour to Gbajabiamila, was eventually brought down on Thursday, 28 September.
It was further gathered that the property property had been there long before Gbajabiamila assumed occupancy of his ultra modern property in 2019 when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives.
It was also gathered that the topmost floor of the property, before it was pulled down, was said to be overlooking the private swimming pool on Gbajabiamila’s property.
An SOS letter that was written to President Tinubu on the controversy, dated September 26, reads in part: “Our earlier letters to the Honourable Minister of the FCT on the referenced respectively dated 14 October, 2022 and 19 April, 2023 refer.
“On the 5th day of October, 2022, the plot was sealed off by men of the Nigeria Police Force who remained posted on the plot on the apparent directive of the Honourable Minister of the FCT who had visited the property earlier on the 4th October, 2022.
“We must state right away that the demolition of our client’s property from the 19th September, 2023 is unlawful, contemptuous, brazen and a volte-face sabotage of every tenets of the rule of law to which your excellency swore to extol.
“Your Excellency, our client’s title to the referenced property is unencumbered. The development of the plot was with approvals from the FCDA.
“Upon reasonable apprehension of infraction on our right to the referenced property, our clients commenced suit challenging the unlawful seal, and post of men of the Nigeria Police Force on its property as well as seeking perpetual injunctions, restraining the Minister of FCT and the FCDA from trespassing on our client’s property.
“We humbly seek the intervention of Your Excellency to stop the Honourable Minister of the FCT brazen affront, indiscretion and utter desecration to the rule of law and direct reimbursement to our client.”