The FCT High Court 42 sitting at Kubwa District under Justice Adelaja has commenced the hearing of a case instituted by the Zaudan Pazeri Land Owners Association against the FCT Minister. The landowners from Zaudan Pazeri and Filindabo Layouts in Dei-dei had their plots of land revoked, which they claimed was wrongful. The land was duly allocated to them by the then minister, Malam Nasir El-Rufai. They are urging the court to declare them as the rightful owners of their land. The case has been in court for ten years.
After the court proceedings on the matter, the second claimant representing all the claimants, Ephraim Chioke, commended the court for opening their case, expressing confidence that they hope to get justice from the court. The landowners had sought redress after they noticed some people on the property. They have an injunction restraining people from doing anything on the land, and they are fighting to get a final judgment declaring them as the rightful owners of the property.
The chairman of the Zaudan Pazeri Property Owners’ Association, Elder Friday Ugoala, commended the outgoing FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, for his efforts to settle the matter out of court while waiting for the reports from the Land Users Adjudication Committee (LUAC). He noted that the LUAC had been investigating the matter for three years, and its speed is affecting the landowners negatively.
The counsel to FCTA, Barr. Ezekiel Ituma, told journalists that in the course of the proceedings, the claimants wanted to tender some documents, including the allocation papers. However, some of the documents were not in a proper manner to be admitted in evidence before the court, leading to the adjournment of the hearing to June 20, 2023. The court gave the date specifically to allow all parties to make their arguments either in favor or against the case since there are too many parties involved.
The case of the Dei-Dei landowners against the FCT Minister has been in court for ten years, and the FCT High Court 42 has commenced the hearing of the matter. The landowners are urging the court to declare them as the rightful owners of their land, which was duly allocated to them. The LUAC has been investigating the matter, and the FCT Minister has made efforts to settle the case out of court. However, due to the delay, the case is still ongoing in court.