Lagos firm sues Wike N200m over revocation of Abuja Zoological Garden land

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has been dragged before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory over an alleged unlawful revocation of a parcel of land earmarked for establishment of Zoological Garden in Abuja.

Wike is sued alongside the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and a private company, Praco International Limited, as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively in the suit marked FCT/HC/GAR/CV/422/2024.

A Lagos based company, Micro Investment Limited, instituted the suit in which it is challenging the proprietary or otherwise of the revocation of its land and re-allocation of the same land to another private firm in an alleged gross violations of Section 28 of the Land Use Act 2004.

In the suit filed on its behalf by an Abuja based legal practitioner, Isiaka Kadiri of Reuben Atabo, SAN, law firm, Micro Investment Limited claimed that the land known as plot 582 located at Kukwuaba District was allocated to it on October 5, 1997, by the FCT Minister and FCDA.

Upon payment of all mandatory fees, the plaintiff claimed that Right of Occupancy (R of O) and Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) were issued to it on March 25, 1998, via C of O number FCT)/ABU/MISC;15004 with file number MISC 15004.

However, between 2005 and 2007 while Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai became the FCT Minister, the aggrieved plaintiff asserted that it received an instruction that all land title holders in the FCT should submit their respective documents for re-certification and issuance of new ones.

It claimed that it promptly complied with the directive and received acknowledgement on July 26, 2006, and had since been in possession of the land.

Trouble was however said to have erupted on May 25, 2023, when a purported withdrawal notice on the land was issued to it based on a purported court judgment in a suit marked FCT/ABU/CV/812/2022 between Praco Nig. Ltd and Mohammed Musa Bello.

The land was said to have been allocated to Praco Nigeria Ltd on July 7, 2023 with file number MISC 148056 while the plaintiff became aware of the alleged unlawful act vide a letter dated July 7, 2023 from the FCT Department of Land Administration.

The plaintiff queried the allocation of the land to another private company, insisting that such revocation can only be legally and lawfully carried out by the defendants on grounds of overriding public interest.

It therefore prayed the court to void and set aside the purported revocation of its land and re-allocation of same to Praco Nigeria Ltd for a private use instead of public use as stipulated by law.

The plaintiff also sought an order of the court that its title be declared valid, lawful and legitimate and that it has exclusive rights to use and occupy the land.

Besides, the Lagos firm also prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants and their agents and privies from tampering with or interfering with its ownership of the land.

Similarly, the plaintiff asked the court to order the three defendants to jointly pay it N200 million as general damages for the alleged unlawful acts carried out against it.

No date has been fixed for hearing and determination of the suit.