Abuja land dispute: Court threatens to strike out lawsuit against Iyabo Obasanjo

The Federal High Court in Abuja has threatened to strike out a lawsuit filed against Sen. Iyabo Obasanjo and others over a land dispute in the Asokoro District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) due to lack of diligent prosecution.

Justice Inyang Ekwo issued the warning on Thursday after the plaintiffs, ABB Electrical Systems Limited and Amb. Yohana Margif, along with their legal representative, failed to appear in court.

The plaintiffs had filed a suit against Obasanjo, former FCT Senator Philip Aduda, and five others, alleging an attempt to unlawfully take possession of Plot 4254, Cadastral Zone A04, measuring approximately 1.67 hectares.

During the hearing, only the counsel to the 4th defendant, John Mbata, was present, stating that he had not been officially served with court documents but was aware of the case through online sources.

Justice Ekwo granted the plaintiffs one last opportunity to appear in court and prosecute their case, warning that failure to do so at the next hearing on March 15 would result in the matter being struck out.

The plaintiffs had earlier sought an interim injunction to prevent the defendants from altering or trespassing on the land, curing imminent threats to their ownership.

However, the court had denied the ex-parte motion and insisted that the defendants must be heard before granting such an order.

Margif, in an affidavit, claimed that the land was legally allocated to the company in 2006 and that recent activities by the defendants posed a serious threat to their ownership.

The case has been adjourned to March 15 for further mention. (NAN)