Connect with us

Nigeria

Forceful Ejection: Over 400 Residents Sue Minister Of Federal Capital Territory

Published

2 years ago

on

Over 400 residents of Abuja have sued the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Inspector-General of Police concerning the forcible ejection from their shops.

Chukwuma-Umachukwu Ume, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) writing on behalf of the 439 complainants, said most of his clients are the breadwinners of their families.

In an impassioned letter to the FCT minister, Muhammad Bello, the distraught traders who are mostly low-income earners, urge the minister to immediately halt the ongoing construction work at the disputed property.

In the suit marked: CV/2734/2021, Ahmed Suleiman and four others are suing the respondents on behalf of their co-tenants.

In the letter dated November 19, 2021, the 439 embattled occupiers at the Area 7 Shopping Complex popularly known as UTC in Abuja said they had been at the property since 1992; “duly paying rents and service charges up to date.”

“That your 439 tenants/occupiers are low-income earners is not a reason to treat them like animals ignoring respect for the rule of law and the dignity of the court.”

The complainants who are 439 are equally suing the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Abuja Markets Management Limited, Urban Shelter Limited and Obinna Okolie, for throwing them out of their respective shops at the popular Area 7 Shopping Complex in Abuja.

The shop owners further urged the FCT minister to rise above the “inordinate selfish interest of private investors whose ongoing construction work is a big insult to the court.” ‘Minister must stop ongoing work.’

The claimants had acquired their interests in the Area 7 Shopping Complex through the original allocation of the various shops and or allocation of empty spaces for the allottees to build by the agents of the FCT minister between 1992 and 1993, allocation letters seen by this reporter showed.

In the writ of summons, the claimants said they always observed and honoured their obligations under the tenancy including payment of rents and service charges promptly.

According to the tenants (claimants), trouble began when the Abuja Investment Company Limited (4th defendant), from nowhere “surfaced with a controversial and illegal 3month remodelling plan of the Area 7 Shopping Complex, issuing the 439 claimants notices of purportedly terminating the tenancy relationship between them and the FCDA.

The aggrieved claimants argued that in a civil case, the Abuja Investment Company Limited, has no “locus” (right), but went ahead to muzzle the police and “connived with the Urban Shelter Limited and one Obinna Okolie to promote private and selfish interests” above the public good.

“In furtherance of its agenda to unlawfully divest the claimants of their shops, the 4th defendant offered to lease to the claimants shops at the Area 7 Shopping Complex for a five year lease which was rejected by the claimants.”

According to court documents, the Abuja Investment Company Limited, “resorted to illegal use of the police to threaten, coerce and deceive the claimants into signing the said lease, stating that they will lose their shops should they fail to sign the said lease agreement.”

Following the claimants’ refusal to engage in any form of redeployment agreement with the 4th and 5th defendants, “the Abuja Investment Company Limited and its partners are bent on going ahead with their plans to demolish the shops of the claimants.”

The claimants are praying the court for an order of “perpetual injunction barring the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th defendants either by themselves or by their agents, privies, assigns or however described from disturbing, harassing, arresting and intimidating or inviting the claimants in respect of the 439 shops at the Area 7 Shopping Complex,  Garki, Abuja.

Texas Guardian News
Latest posts by Texas Guardian News (see all)
Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

News

Nigerian officials probe plan to marry off scores of female orphans

Published

1 day ago

on

May 15, 2024

By

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Women Affairs says it is investigating a plan by a lawmaker in central Niger state to marry off some 100 female orphans of unknown ages later this month.

Speaker of the Niger State Assembly Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji announced the mass wedding last week but called off the ceremony following widespread outrage.

Minister of Women Affairs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, condemned the plans.

Kennedy-Ohanenye said she had petitioned the police and filed a lawsuit to stop the marriages pending an investigation to ascertain the age of the orphans and whether they consented to the marriages.

“This is totally unacceptable by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and by the government” of Nigeria, she said.

Last week, Sarkin-Daji announced his support for the mass wedding of the orphans, whose relatives were killed during attacks by armed bandits. He said it was part of his support to his constituents following an appeal for wedding funding by local traditional and religious leaders.

The mass wedding had been scheduled for May 24.

“That support I intend to give for the marriage of those orphans, I’m withdrawing it,” he said. “The parents can have the support [money], if they wish, let them go ahead and marry them off. As it is right now, I’m not threatened by the action of the minister.”

Despite national laws prohibiting it, forced or arranged marriage is a common phenomenon in Nigeria, especially among rural communities in the predominantly Muslim north, where religious and cultural norms such as polygamy favor the practice.

Poor families often use forced marriage to ease financial pressure, and the European Union Agency for Asylum says girls who refuse could face repercussions such as neglect, ostracism, physical assault and rape.

Raquel Kasham Daniel escaped being married off as a teenager when her father died and now runs a nonprofit helping children, especially less-privileged girls, get a formal education for free.

She said the ability of women to avoid forced marriage in Nigeria depends on their income and education.

“I was 16 when I lost my dad and I was almost married off, but then I ran away from home. And that gave me the opportunity to complete my education, and now I have a better life,” Daniel said.

“So, the reason why I prioritize education is to make sure that other girls have access to quality schooling so that it will help them make informed decisions about their lives. Education not only increases our awareness as girls about our rights but also enhances our prospects for higher income earning,” she said.

Thirty percent of girls in Nigeria are married before they turn 18, according to Girls Not Brides, a global network of more than 1,400 civil society groups working to end child marriage.

Texas Guardian News
Latest posts by Texas Guardian News (see all)
Continue Reading

News

Shell investigates smoke near Gbaran oil facility in Nigeria

Published

1 day ago

on

May 15, 2024

By

YENAGOA, Nigeria, May 14 (Reuters) – Oil major Shell is investigating reports of smoke early Tuesday near its Gbaran Ubie oil and gas facility in Nigeria’s coastal Bayelsa state, a spokesperson said after residents reported hearing explosions and seeing smoke near the area.
The incident would not immediately lead to an operational shut-in, the Shell spokesperson said.
A fire was reported around 0600 GMT by residents in the nearby community, who said blasts were heard where pipeline repair works had been ongoing.
The Gbaran facility, which began operations in 2010, is by far the most important Nigeria LNG gas feedstock project, processing almost 2 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day.
“We are actively monitoring reports of smoke detected near our Gbaran Central Processing Facility in Bayelsa State. While the source appears to be external to our facility, we are in close communication with regulatory authorities to look into the incident and ensure the safety of the surrounding communities,” a Shell spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
Shell did not immediately respond to the accounts of residents in the area.
Resident Ovie Ogbuku told Reuters: “At about 7 a.m. I heard the sound so deafeningly and it shook the foundation of the earth and we ran for our dear lives. The result is the thick smoke you are seeing now.”
Another resident Uche Ede said; “We have no idea of the cause of the explosion but we are grateful no life was lost because it was far away from homes.”
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
Land operations in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta are prone to sabotage, theft, and pipeline vandalism, forcing oil majors to exit such fields to focus on deepwater drilling.

Texas Guardian News
Latest posts by Texas Guardian News (see all)
Continue Reading

Lifestyle

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Nigeria tour: A Round Up

Published

1 day ago

on

May 15, 2024

By

Meghan and Harry spent three days in the African country, Nigeria in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent time in Nigeria as part of a three-day tour, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of The Invictus Games.

The couple were personally invited on the trip by Nigeria’s chief of defence staff, General Christopher Musa; they are not there in any official capacity on behalf of the royal family or the UK. The tour schedule, which started in the bustling capital of Abuja, has been jam-packed, including a visit to primary and secondary school Lightway Academy, where they met with students, and experiencing the work of Nigeria Unconquered, a charitable foundation dedicated to aiding wounded, injured, or sick servicemembers.

Naturally, the trip also provided the opportunity for Meghan to showcase a multi-day “tourdrobe”, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the couple stepped down as senior working royals in early 2020 – and she hasn’t disappointed, in a series of summery maxi dresses, elegant tailoring and striking separates.

See highlights from their trip so far, below.

On day three, the couple arrived at Lagos airport, where they were given an official state welcome.

The couple posed for a photo with children and Nigerian dignitaries.

 

The couple were greeted by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

 

nigeria britain royals invictus games

They then attended a basketball exhibition training match at Ilupeju Grammar School in Lagos. After the match, they posed for a photo with the Toronto Raptors basketball team president, Masai Ujiri, and the principal of Ilupeju Grammar School, Josephine Egunyomi.

 

The couple attended a reception hosted by the charity organisation Nigeria Unconquered, held at the Officers’ Mess in Abuja.

 

A visit to the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

Texas Guardian News
Latest posts by Texas Guardian News (see all)
Continue Reading

Trending