Abuja, September 1, 2023* – Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Kamba, a landowner in Abuja, has taken legal action against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the Director of Development Control for the demolition of his under-construction building located at Plot 226, Cotonou Street, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja.
In an official statement released on Thursday by his attorney, Okechukwu C. Uju-Azorji, an associate of Festus Keyamo Chambers, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Kamba alleges that his property was wrongfully demolished on Monday, August 29, 2023. According to the statement, the Director of Development Control cited unauthorized construction on another person’s land as the reason for the demolition.
The statement further clarified the property’s ownership history, stating that the plot originally belonged to Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Kamba’s predecessor, who had erected a guest house (commonly referred to as “Boys’ Quarters”) on the plot and collected rent for over 25 years before transferring ownership to Kamba in 2019. The land’s purchase was made during the lifetime of the original allottee, Oyebade Lipede.
Additionally, the statement revealed that a legal practitioner based in Abuja had previously filed a Direct Criminal Complaint against Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Kamba for trespass, claiming that the land belonged to Oyebade Lipede, the late Alake of Egbaland. However, the suit was dismissed on September 1, 2020, by the Grade 1 Area Court Judge, who suggested that the matter should be taken to the FCT High Court due to its nature as a land title dispute.
Rather than pursuing a formal legal action to determine the land’s ownership, the said Abuja-based legal practitioner reportedly engaged with various segments of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, seemingly with some level of cooperation from certain individuals who endorsed his narrative that the plot belonged to the late Alake of Egbaland. The statement noted that the evidence presented by this lawyer was based on a portion of a will allegedly belonging to the late Alake of Egbaland, which mentioned a piece of land in Abuja but did not provide specific plot details.
Furthermore, the statement revealed that on June 23, 2023, the Department of Development Control demolished a fence that had stood for 25 years on the property. In response, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Kamba filed a trespassing lawsuit against the Minister of the FCT in the FCT High Court.
Despite the Director of Development Control not being a party to the lawsuit, the attorney’s office took steps to notify him about the pending legal action through a letter received in his office on July 4, 2023. This letter, which also copied the Director of Legal Services in the department, included the Writ of Summons. Therefore, the demolition of the entire structure by the Department of Development Control while the lawsuit was ongoing was deemed reckless and beyond the authority of the FCT Minister.
The statement emphasized the rule of law in Nigeria and hinted at potential contempt proceedings against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory for alleged abuse of the FCT High Court’s processes. It was also stated that the Director of Development Control could be joined as a defendant in the ongoing lawsuit for exceeding his powers and engaging in the wrongful demolition of Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Kamba’s property.
In conclusion, the statement conveyed the intention of Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Kamba’s legal team to uphold justice and seek redress for the alleged unlawful demolition of his property, asserting that no individual, including public officers, should act outside the bounds of their authority.
