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Abuja property: Court strikes out Abacha family’s N500m suit
Abuja property: Court strikes out Abacha family’s N500m suit
A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit instituted against the federal government by the family of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, challenging the revocation of the property of the former military ruler located in the Maitama District of Abuja.
Justice Peter Lifu dismissed the suit in a judgement on the case filed nine years ago in which the Abacha family members are demanding the return of their father’s mansions located at Osara Close in Maitama and N500M compensation.
In the judgment, Justice Lifu predicated the dismissal on various grounds, among which are that the suit had become statute-barred at the time it was filed in 2015 and that those who initiated the case have no locus standi (legal power) to do so.
The suit was filed by Mohammed Sani Abacha, the eldest surviving son of the former military ruler, and the widow, Hajia Maryam Abacha, on behalf of the executors of the estate of the late military general.
Listed as 1st to 4th Defendants in the suit are the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (MFCT), Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Salamed Ventures Limited.
The new dismissal of the suit marked the fourth time the family would lose legal battles on the property in court, having lost twice at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and once at the Court of Appeal in Abuja on grounds of jurisdiction.
Upon shifting the battle to the Federal High Court, the Abacha family, among others, prayed the Court to nullify and set aside the revocation of the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of the property of the late General Abacha.
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The grouse of the family was that the Certificate of Occupancy marked FCT/ABUKN 2478 covering Plot 3119 issued on June 25, 1993, was illegally and unlawfully revoked by the defendants on January 16, 2006, in breach of Section 44 of the 1999 Constitution and Section 28 of the Land Use Act.
In their statement of claims, the Abacha family said the FCT under Nasir El-Rufai had, between 2004 and 2005, instructed them to submit the Certificate of Occupancy in their possession for re-certification.
They claimed that the 2nd plaintiff, Mohammed Sani Abacha, promptly complied with the directive by delivering the Certificate of Occupancy to the FCDA, and an acknowledgement copy was issued to him.
While waiting for a new Certificate of Occupancy to be issued to them, the plaintiffs asserted that Mohammed Abacha received a letter on February 3, 2006, notifying them that the Certificate of Occupancy had been revoked without any reason adduced in the letter.
Besides the failure to give any reason for the revocation, the Abacha family alleged that adequate compensation was not paid.
The family, therefore, asked Justice Lifu to declare as unconstitutional, unlawful, illegal, null, and void, the revocation of the property and also sought an order setting aside the revocation and holding that their Certificate of Occupancy is valid and subsisting.
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The plaintiffs asked for an order of injunction prohibiting the defendants from taking any further steps on the disputed property and to also compel the defendants to pay them N500M as damages.
However, the defendants, in their separate counter-affidavits and preliminary objections, asked for the outright dismissal of the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/463/2016.
Specifically, the 4th defendant, Salamed Ventures Limited, represented by James Ogwu Onoja SAN, argued that the suit, at the time it was instituted, had become statute-barred, having not been filed within three months of the cause of action allowed by law and thus, robbed the court of jurisdiction.
Onoja SAN submitted that the suit was caught by the provisions of the Public Officers Protection Act and had become a mere academic exercise and asked the Judge to dismiss it for being frivolous and lacking in merit.
The senior lawyer said that Salamed Ventures Limited became the owners of the disputed property upon its purchase from the federal government at N595M and issuance of Certificate of Occupancy number 181dw-3adcz-721r-15a8-10 of May 25, 2011.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu agreed with Onoja SAN that the cause of action arose on February 3, 2006, when the Certificate of Occupancy was revoked, while the case was filed in May 2015, years after the revocation and far more than three months it ought to have been filed.
Besides, the judge held that the plaintiffs lacked locus standi to file the case upon their failure to present as exhibits their letters of administration to the estate as required by law and as proof of their claim as the administrators.
Justice Lifu also agreed with Salamed Ventures that the Abacha property was lawfully revoked upon breaches in the covenants in the Right of Occupancy by erecting structures without first obtaining building plans.
The judge then dismissed the suit and ordered the Abacha family to pay Salamed Ventures N500,000 as the cost of litigation.
(DailyPost)
Abuja property: Court strikes out Abacha family’s N500m suit
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metro
Bandits Collect ₦56m Ransom, Three Phones Before Returning Abducted Kaduna Farmer’s Corpse
Bandits Collect ₦56m Ransom, Three Phones Before Returning Abducted Kaduna Farmer’s Corpse
KADUNA, Nigeria — Residents have been thrown into mourning and outrage after armed bandits reportedly collected a staggering ₦56 million ransom before handing over the lifeless body of an abducted farmer, Ibrahim Kadafa, popularly known as Ibro or K9, to his family.
The tragic incident occurred along the Kaduna-Abuja highway corridor, where Kadafa and his friend, Mustapha Shelpidi, were reportedly kidnapped while harvesting soybeans on a farm about two weeks ago.
According to accounts from family sources, Kadafa sustained a gunshot injury to his leg while attempting to escape during the attack.
Rather than receiving medical attention, the abducted farmer was allegedly left without treatment throughout his captivity, as his family struggled to negotiate his release.
After weeks of negotiations and efforts to raise the money, the family reportedly met the kidnappers’ demands, paying ₦56 million in ransom, alongside three brand-new Samsung mobile phones and ₦20,000 worth of airtime.
However, what the family had hoped would be a joyful reunion turned into an unimaginable tragedy on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
When relatives arrived at the agreed location to receive Kadafa, the bandits reportedly handed them his corpse instead of the living man they had spent millions of naira trying to rescue.
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The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, although relatives suspect that complications arising from the untreated gunshot wound may have contributed to his death while in captivity.
Meanwhile, the fate of his friend and fellow abductee, Mustapha Shelpidi, remains unknown, raising further concerns about his safety and the possibility that he is still being held by the kidnappers.
Friends and associates of the deceased have continued to express grief over the incident, describing Kadafa as a dependable friend, responsible family member and respected figure in his community.
One of his grieving associates recalled how the late farmer regularly sought his advice on important personal decisions, describing their relationship as that of brothers.
“He was someone who believed in me enough to seek my advice whenever he needed to make important decisions. He was my brother and friend. This is wrong, in all shades,” the associate lamented.
Kadafa was reportedly the first son of his mother, who is now left to mourn his death, while several of his siblings reside in Abuja.
His killing has renewed concerns over the worsening security situation along the Kaduna-Abuja highway and surrounding rural communities, where farmers, travellers and other residents remain vulnerable to attacks and abductions.
The incident has also raised fresh questions about the effectiveness of security operations in the area, particularly as kidnapping victims and their families continue to face devastating consequences despite paying huge sums to secure their freedom.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on Kadafa’s death or provide details about efforts to rescue Shelpidi.
The family and community are now left mourning a man whose relatives reportedly paid millions of naira in the hope of bringing him home alive.
Bandits Collect ₦56m Ransom, Three Phones Before Returning Abducted Kaduna Farmer’s Corpse
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I Caught My Husband in Our Matrimonial Bed With Another Woman, Waited for Them to Finish – Wife
I Caught My Husband in Our Matrimonial Bed With Another Woman, Waited for Them to Finish – Wife
KUMASI, GHANA — A woman has sparked widespread reactions after recounting how she caught her husband allegedly having an affair with another woman in their matrimonial bedroom but chose to wait until they were done before confronting him.
The woman made the revelation during an interview on Nhyira 104.5 FM, where she narrated the shocking experience and her unusual reaction to discovering her husband’s alleged infidelity.
According to her account, she returned home unexpectedly and discovered that her husband was in their bedroom with another woman.
Rather than immediately confronting the pair, creating a scene or attempting to force her way into the room, she decided to remain calm and wait for them to finish.
“I caught my husband in our bed with another woman, so I waited for them to finish,” she reportedly told the programme’s presenters.
Her revelation has since generated considerable attention on social media, with clips from the interview circulating across various online platforms and triggering heated discussions about marriage, betrayal and relationships.
The woman’s unusual decision to wait instead of immediately confronting her husband has particularly divided social media users.
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Some commentators expressed admiration for her composure, arguing that she demonstrated remarkable self-control in a situation that could easily have resulted in a heated confrontation.
Others, however, questioned how she managed to remain calm after discovering such an intimate betrayal, with some suggesting that the shock of the discovery might have left her temporarily speechless.
Some social media users also wondered what happened after the couple allegedly finished, particularly how the woman confronted her husband and what explanation he offered for the incident.
Others turned the story into a broader discussion about the importance of faithfulness and respect in marriage, insisting that no spouse should have to endure the humiliation of discovering an affair in their matrimonial home.
The account also attracted humorous reactions from some online commentators, who described the woman’s patience as extraordinary, while others said they would have reacted very differently if they had found themselves in a similar situation.
However, the circumstances surrounding the alleged affair, including the identity of the other woman and what happened after the discovery, have not been independently established.
As the interview continues to circulate online, the woman’s account has added another chapter to ongoing social media conversations about marital infidelity, trust, emotional control and the painful consequences of betrayal.
I Caught My Husband in Our Matrimonial Bed With Another Woman, Waited for Them to Finish – Wife
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Court Admits Supreme Court Judgment Against Emefiele in $4.5bn, N2.8bn Fraud Trial Despite Defence Objection
Court Admits Supreme Court Judgment Against Emefiele in $4.5bn, N2.8bn Fraud Trial Despite Defence Objection
LAGOS, NIGERIA — The Ikeja Special Offences Court has overruled an objection by former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and admitted a certified true copy of a Supreme Court judgment into evidence in his ongoing $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud trial.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, who presided over the proceedings on Friday, admitted the judgment as Exhibit L, ruling that it was a public document admissible in evidence.
The document reportedly concerns multiple properties forfeited to the Federal Government and allegedly linked to the former CBN governor.
The prosecution had sought to tender the Supreme Court judgment through its eighth witness, Alvan Gurumnaan, the lead investigator in the case.
However, Emefiele’s defence counsel opposed its admission, questioning its relevance and legal admissibility in the ongoing criminal proceedings.
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Emefiele is facing a 19-count charge bordering on alleged gratification, corrupt demands and abuse of office involving $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.
He is standing trial alongside Henry Omoile, who faces a separate three-count charge over the alleged unlawful acceptance of gifts.
During Friday’s proceedings, the defence challenged the prosecution’s attempt to introduce the Supreme Court judgment, raising concerns about its relevance to the criminal trial and the circumstances surrounding the document’s presentation.
The defence also questioned the prosecution’s reliance on the judgment, which arose from a forfeiture-related matter.
In his ruling, Justice Oshodi dismissed the objections, holding that a certified true copy of a court judgment qualifies as a public document that can be admitted in evidence.
The judge explained that judgments are tendered in subsequent proceedings to establish what a court had previously decided, not to automatically import the evidence presented in the earlier case into a fresh trial.
He cited several judicial authorities, including David v. Friyisi Akperen (2000), Egwu v. Ezeubu (1992), Okoye v. Ogoji (1991) and Ademba v. Odizi (1999), in support of his position.
Justice Oshodi further held that the omission of certain ancillary details did not make the certified judgment incomplete or inadmissible.
Following the ruling, the court admitted the document as Exhibit L, with its use restricted to establishing the decisions previously reached by the Supreme Court concerning the disputed assets.
The development marks another stage in the prosecution’s presentation of evidence against the former CBN governor.
The court subsequently adjourned the case until December 17, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination and further proceedings.
Court Admits Supreme Court Judgment Against Emefiele in $4.5bn, N2.8bn Fraud Trial Despite Defence Objection
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