THE family of Nigeria’s late Head of State, Sani Abacha, has sued President Bola Tinubu, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and two others before the Court of Appeal in Abuja over the revocation of the late General’s landed property in Abuja.
On behalf of the Abacha family, former first lady Mariam Sani Abacha and her son Mohammed Sani are trying to reclaim property they believe was illegally taken from them.
The Federal Government allegedly withheld ownership of the land in Abuja’s Maitama District and sold it to Salamed Ventures Limited, a private corporation, without informing the Abacha family.
The Abacha family is pleading with the Court of Appeal to nullify the ruling by the Federal High Court, Abuja, which dismissed their lawsuit on the land on May 19, 2024.
The Federal Capital Territory (MFCT) Minister, the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Nigeria’s President, and Salamed Ventures Limited are listed as the first through fourth respondents in the appeal.
In addition, Maryam Abacha and her son are pleading with the appellate court to use Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act to assume jurisdiction over their legal dispute as a court of first instance and provide fair treatment for the family.
Reuben Atabo, a senior advocate, filed a notice of appeal on their behalf, citing eleven reasons and two significant reliefs.
They asserted, among others, that Justice Lifu committed a legal error when he decided that their claims in the Federal Capital Territory’s High Court (suit No.: FCT/HC/CV/317/2006) and the Court of Appeal (appeal No.: CA/A/197/2010) were rejected, even though they were rejected for lack of jurisdiction.
The hearing has not been assigned a specific date.
The ICIR reported on Monday that a Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja dismissed a suit initiated against the Federal Government by the Abacha family.
The Judge, Peter Lifu, dismissed the lawsuit in a ruling on the nine-year-old dispute in which the Abacha family is requesting N500 million in damages and the return of their father’s property.
The family said in its statement of claims that between 2004 and 2005, the FCT under Nasir El-Rufai as the minister ordered it to submit the certificate of occupancy for re-certification.
It claimed that Mohammed Sani Abacha, the second plaintiff, complied with the directive by giving the FCDA the C of O and received an acknowledgement copy for the submission.
In his judgment, the judge agreed with Salamed Ventures that the Abacha property was rightfully revoked due to breaches in the right of occupancy, including the erection of structures without first obtaining building plans.
After dismissing the lawsuit, the judge mandated the Abacha family to pay Salamed Ventures N500,000 for legal fees.
The ICIR reported how subsequent governments in Nigeria recovered funds looted by the late Abacha, including the return of about $723 million from Switzerland, and other sums from other countries allegedly running into $5 billion in total.
However, a Federal High Court in Abuja, on July 3, ordered the Nigerian government to disclose how the $5 billion Abacha loot was spent.
A reporter with the ICIR
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