The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, challenging the revocation of their property in the Maitama district of Abuja.
The court ruled that the suit was statute barred and the plaintiffs lacked the legal right to maintain the action.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment, stating that the cause of action arose in 2006, but the suit was filed in 2015, nine years after the revocation.
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The plaintiffs, Hajia Maryam Abacha and her son Mohammed, had sought to nullify the revocation of the Certificate of Occupancy and demanded N500 million in damages. However, the defendants, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the Federal Capital Development Authority, argued that the suit was filed out of time and the plaintiffs lacked locus standi.
“The suit has become statute barred, and the plaintiffs failed to present letters of administration to the Estate as required by law,” Justice Lifu held.
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The court also ordered the Abacha family to pay Salamed Ventures, one of the defendants, N500,000 in legal costs.
Dr. Reuben Okpanachi Atabo, SAN, represented the Abacha family, while Dr. James Ogwu Onoja, SAN, led the defendants’ legal team.
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