ABUJA – Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike is facing a N200 million lawsuit in a High Court over the alleged illegal revocation of land designated for a Zoological Garden in Abuja.
Wike, along with the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and PracoInternational Limited, is named as a defendant in case FCT/HC/GAR/CV/422/2024.
The suit was filed by Lagos-based Micro Investment Limited, which contests the revocation and subsequent reallocation of its land, claiming it violates Section 28 of the Land Use Act 2004.
The land, located at plot 582 in KukwuabaDistrict, was assigned to Micro Investment on October 5, 1997, by the FCT Minister and FCDA, with a Right of Occupancy and Certificate of Occupancy issued on March 25, 1998.
The company complied with a re-certification directive during Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai’s tenure as FCT Minister, receiving acknowledgment on July 26, 2006, and has maintained possession since then.
Conflict arose on May 25, 2023, when a withdrawal notice was issued based on an alleged court ruling favoring Praco Nigeria Ltd.
The land was reallocated to Praco Nigeria on July 7, 2023. Micro Investment learned of this through a letter dated the same day and contested the legality of the reallocation.
Micro Investment argues that such a revocation must adhere to public interest and seeks the court’s intervention to nullify the revocation and validate its land title, asserting exclusive rights to it. Furthermore, it requests a permanent injunction against any interference with its ownership and N200 million in damages from the defendants for their alleged unlawful actions.
No hearing date has been set for the case.
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