Legal Battle Over Property, Abacha Family To Know Fate June 27

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja will on June 27 deliver judgment in a suit by the family of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha challenging the revocation of the property of the former Military ruler in Maitama District of Abuja.

Justice Lifu on Wednesday fixed the judgment date for the suit instituted by wife of the late General Abacha, Hajia Maryam Abacha and her eldest surviving son, Mohammed Sani Abacha.

Defendants in the suit are the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the Federal Capital Development Authority, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Salamed Ventures Limited.

The Judge fixed the date after fierce legal fireworks by the Abacha family’s lawyer led by Dr Reuben Okpanachi Atabo, and those of the defendants led by Dr James Ogwu Onoja.

Among others, the Abacha family represented by Maryam Abacha and Mohammed Sani Abacha prayed the Court to nullify and set aside the purported revocation of the Certificate of Occupancy of the property of the late General Sani Abacha located in the Maitama District.

The Certificate of Occupancy marked FCT/ABUKN 2478 covering plot 3119 issued on June 25, 1993 was said by the family to have been illegally and unlawfully revoked by the defendants.

In their statement of claims, the Abacha family said that the FCT under Nasir El-Rufai had instructed them to submit the Certificate of Occupancy in their possession for re-certification.

They claimed that the 2nd plaintiff, Mohammed Sani Abacha promptly complied with the directive by delivering the Certificate of Occupancy to the FCDA and acknowledgement copy issued to him.

While waiting for a new Certificate of Occupancy to be issued to them, the plaintiffs asserted that Mohammed Abacha received a letter on February 3, 2006 notifying them that the Certificate of Occupancy had been revoked without any reason adduced in the letter.

The family therefore asked the Judge to declare as unconstitutional, unlawful, illegal, null and void and of no effect, the purported revocation of the property.

According to them, the Certificate of Occupancy issued to the late Head of State was maliciously revoked without legal basis or justification
hence, prayed Justice Lifu to award N500M as damages to be paid to them by the four defendants.

Among other reasons, the defendants claimed that the suit at the time it was instituted had become statute barred having not been filed within time allowed by law.

Although, some of the defendants were not in court at Wednesday’s proceedings, Justice Lifu invoked the rule of the Court in adopting their processes already filed.

Garry Ochigbo, Edited By Grace Namiji