ABUJA – The Federal High Court in Abuja has warned that it may strike out a lawsuit involving Senator Iyabo Obasanjo and others over an ongoing land dispute in the Asokoro District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) due to a lack of diligent prosecution.
Justice Inyang Ekwo issued the warning on Thursday after the plaintiffs—ABB Electrical Systems Limited and Ambassador Yohana Margif—along with their legal counsel, failed to appear in court.
The plaintiffs had sued Obasanjo, former FCT Senator Philip Aduda, and five others, alleging an attempt to unlawfully take possession of Plot 4254, Cadastral Zone A04, spanning approximately 1.67 hectares.
During the hearing, only the counsel for the 4th defendant, John Mbata, was present. Mbata informed the court that he had not been officially served with court documents but became aware of the case through online sources.
Justice Ekwo granted the plaintiffs one final opportunity to present their case, warning that failure to appear at the next hearing on March 15 would lead to the lawsuit’s dismissal.
Earlier, the plaintiffs had sought an interim injunction to prevent the defendants from trespassing on the land, citing imminent threats to their ownership. However, the court denied the ex-parte motion, ruling that the defendants must be heard before any such order could be granted.
In an affidavit, Margif asserted that the land was legally allocated to ABB Electrical Systems Limited in 2006, but recent activities by the defendants posed a serious threat to their ownership.
The matter has been adjourned to March 15 for further proceedings.
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