A/Court hears Abuja property case

A Nigerian in the Diaspora, Mr Imokhuede Ohikhuare has built two duplexes on the disputed land. A former Nigerian envoy to South Africa, Ambassador Shehu Malami, claims ownership and claimed to have transferred the property to Sir Emeka Offor.The panel comprises Justice Abdulkadir Jega (presiding judge), Justice Joseph Tine Tur and Justice Mooren Adumein. At […]

A Nigerian in the Diaspora, Mr Imokhuede Ohikhuare has built two duplexes on the disputed land.
A former Nigerian envoy to South Africa, Ambassador Shehu Malami, claims ownership and claimed to have transferred the property to Sir Emeka Offor.
The panel comprises Justice Abdulkadir Jega (presiding judge), Justice Joseph Tine Tur and Justice Mooren Adumein.
At the resumed hearing of the matter, the Appeal Court justices acceded to a plea by team of counsel to the appellant, Mr Paul Erokoro (SAN), Mr S.I. Ameh (SAN) and Mr Femi Falana (SAN) to withdraw some applications they had before the court, which recent developments in the matter have made irrelevant.
However, the justices were pleasantly surprised and amused when Chief Udechukwu (SAN) lead counsel to Ambassador Malami and Sir Ofor informed the court that he had already filed an appeal at the Supreme Court ahead of the Court of Appeal hearing of the matter.
Evidently eager to get the hearing proper going, the justices of the Appeal Court seized this opportunity to ask all parties to the case to consider all motions and applications tangential to the substantive matter before the court for possible withdrawal in the light of the latest developments.
On December 13, 2013 Court of Appeal ruled in favour of appellant to admit additional evidences into the case which were not disclosed to the lower court by the plaintiff.
The justices cleared all motions and applications militating against hearing the substantive matter.
Consequently, the Appeal Court fixed January 21, 2015 for hearing of the appeal proper of the substantive issue.  
However, the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) which had sometime last year asked the court to join the appeal which plea was granted by the court, withdrew from the matter at this latest hearing.
In a preliminary submission while arguing to be admitted into the appeal, the FCDA had faulted the lower court’s verdict in the matter, contending that it has the legal powers to revoke the certificate of occupancy it initially issued to Ambassador Malami over Plot 865 (now Plot No.1809).