Abuja Land Dispute: Court okays contempt charge against 2 Lebanese

2026-02-15 - 12:30

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri ABUJA– A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at Maitama has ordered the service of Form 48 on two Lebanese, allegedly involved in land grabbing in Abuja. Justice Hamza Mu’azu made the order following an exparte motion marked: M/645/2026, which detailed how the defendants, Fadi Alloush and Savi, allegedly flouted an order of the court by proceeding to build houses on a land that was originally allocated as a relaxation park. The court directed that the Form 48 which is a notice of consequences of disobedience to its subsisting orders, be served on the defendants by substituted means. It ordered that the legal document be pasted “on the wall, fence, and gate erected around Plot 1523B (as carved out of Plot 1523A) by the 3rd and 5th defendants and their privies, or by publishing it in one national newspaper popular in the Federal Capital Territory.) Equally listed as the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th defendants, respectively, are the Minister of the FCT Administration, Nyesom Wike; the Abuja Metropolitan Management Company (AMMC) Department of Parks and Recreation; Ishioma Faith Gomenti; and an unknown person. “Take notice that unless you obey the direction contained in order made by honourable Justice H. Mu’azu on 27th May 2025, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison,” the court further held. The substantive suit, marked: FCT/HC/CV/1506/2025, was brought before the court by a claimant, O. A. U. Parks & Garden Limited. Justice Mu’azu fixed March 10 for the defendants to appear before the court for the contempt action to be heard. Specifically, the court had on May 27, 2025, after it heard an application that was brought before it by the claimant which has a team of lawyers led by Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa, SAN, held as follows: “An order of interim injunction is granted restraining the 3rd – 6th defendants herein, their agents, privies, assigns, servants and whosoever acts on their behalf and or instruction from tempering, offering to sell, selling, assigning, mortgaging, entering, partitioning, digging, building, construction, excavation, fencing and erecting structures of any kind or status at the property known as Park No. 1523A Mabushi District, Off Ahmadu Bello Way, FCT Abuja, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. “An order of interim injunction is granted restraining the 3rd – 6th defendants from taking any further step concerning the subject matter of this suit and or to maintain the status quo, pending thr hearing and determination of the motion on notice.” However, the claimant told the court that while the case was pending, the two Lebanese, with the help of armed security operatives, took over the recreation Park and commenced excavations and construction activities. Consequently, aside from praying the court to restrain the defendants, the claimant urged the court to declare it as the sole bonafide owner of the piece of land covered by conveyance of approval dated November 8, 2013, with File No. AMMA/P&R/S.500. It further prayed the court to declare that the presence of the defendants on the land without the consent and or permission of the claimant amounted to a trespass. As well as, “An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants either by themselves, agent, servant, proxies, assigns or whatsoever so called from interfering, or doing anything whatsoever including further trespassing, re-allocation, alteration, taking possession or erecting any structure (s) on the claimant’s piece of land lying situate at Park No. 1523A Mabushi District Off Ahmadu Bello, FCT Abuja, covered by conveyance of approval dated November 8, 2013, with File No. AMMA/P&R/S.500.” The claimant also prayed the court to award the sum of N500 million as general damages occasioned by the defendants’ unlawful acts and trespass.