A property developer, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Kamba has dragged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and the Director of Development Control to court for demolishing his building under construction at Plot 226, Cotonou Street, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja.
Kamba’s lawyer, Okechukwu Uju-Azorji stated that the property in question was wrongfully demolished and vowed to seek legal redress.
He added that the Director of Development Control of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, would also be joined in the suit for abuse of office.
Recalls that the Federal Capital Development Authority had earlier demolished a duplex under construction at Plot 226, Cotonou Street, Wuse Zone 6, citing it was sitting on someone else’s land without a valid title.
But Kamba through his lawyers, Okechukwu Uju-Azorji revealed his intention to file contempt proceedings against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory for abuse of the processes of the FCT High Court.
He insisted that the plot in contention belonged to the predecessor in title of their client who had built a guest house popularly called “Boys’ Quarters” on the plot where he was collecting rent for upwards of 25 years before selling and handing over possession to the client in 2019.
The statement partially reads; “On Monday, August 29, 2023, our client was greeted with the news of demolishing his structure under construction at Plot 226, Cotonou Street, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja. In the interview granted shortly by the Director of Development Control, he stated, “We demolished the duplex because somebody built on someone else’s land without valid title”.
“The plot itself belonged to the predecessor in title of our client, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Kamba who had built a guest house popularly called “Boys’ Quarters”, on the Plot where he was collecting rent for upwards of 25 years before selling and handing over possession to our client in 2019. Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Kamba in turn bought the property during the lifetime of the original allottee, Oyebade Lipede.
“When our client commenced the development of the Plot including the renovation of the existing guest house, a certain Abuja-based legal practitioner took out a Direct Criminal Complaint against our client at the Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja for trespass, claiming that the property belonged to Oyebade Lipede, the late Alake of Egbaland. The suit was dismissed on 1/9/2020 with the Grade 1 Area Court Judge specifically urging the parties to refer the matter to FCT High Court since it has become issue of title to land, CTC of Ruling attached.
“Rather than bring an action in Court for declaration of title to the land, the said Abuja based legal practitioner was busy approaching different segments of the Federal Capital Territory Administration where it has become obvious that he enjoyed the cooperation of some persons who unfortunately bought into his narrative that the plot belonged to the late Alake of Egbaland. On one occasion, our client saw from this lawyer that the only root of his title claim is a portion of a Will allegedly belonging to said late Alake of Egbaland, where a portion made reference to a piece of land in Abuja. The plot number, location and other details were however not captured in the alleged Will.
“When the Department of Development Control demolished our client’s fence on 23rd June, 2023, a fence which had existed for the past 25 years, our client was surprised. Acting within the bounds of the law, we took out an action in the FCT High Court against the Minister of the FCT for trespass, Writ is attached”.