Press Conference
Trespassing and Land Grabbing Activities of the River Park Estates and or Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited at Lubge CRD, Abuja
May 21, 2014
Good morning our distinguished media colleagues,
I welcome you to this Press Conference on behalf of the Lugbe CRD Landlords Association, an Association of home and land owners in the Lugbe CRD part of Abuja. Part of the rights we have as Nigerians under the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, as amended, includes the right to own movable and immovable property in any part of our country, including the Federal Capacity Territory, Abuja. Being law abiding citizens, we the landlords in the CRD part of Lugbe, Abuja, followed laid down processes and procedures in the procurement of land to build homes where we and our families can live. Definitely not being land speculators, most of us have carried out varying lengths of developments on these plots, on which we have valid legal titles from the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), ratified by AGIS in accordance with the land reforms in the FCT. While these area remains without any social amenities like water and electricity, a number of us have completed out buildings and are living there.
My dear brothers and sisters from the fourth estate of the realm, we have all been witnesses to the activities of certain individuals in this country who believe they can do and get away with anything, irrespective of the position of the law. People who believe in the skewed and undemocratic philosophy portrayed in George Orwell’s Animal Farm that “some people are more equal than others”; effectively demystifying the contention of the Nigerian Constitution, which provides that all citizens have the same rights before the law.
The activities of the River Park Estates and or Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited are beginning to give incontrovertible signals that we are indeed back to the dark ages, when BIG MEN and WOMEN built their hotels and big estates anywhere in the FCT without valid legal titles.
We recall this dark period when this category of otherwise invincible Nigerians built on land titles owned by other individuals or water and sewer lines etc. We also recall that most of them did not get away with this level of impunity, because of the plan to restore the Abuja master plan and the political will demonstrated by the Obasanjo administration in the implementation of that plan. With the benefit of hindsight and in the interest of justice and the rule of law, we call on President Goodluck Jonathan (GCFR), Senator Bala Mohammed, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT Administration and Development Control to stop the illegal and contemptuous encroachment into our land by the River Park Estates and or Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited. The company is trespassing on our land in violation of an interim injunction issued to our colleagues an Abuja High Court, retraining the company and its agents from going ahead with their trespassing activities pending the determination of the matter on notice.
Let’s also state for the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever that, we know the procedure for the withdrawal of land titles, and indeed, the relevant authorities in the FCT have not withdrawn the land titles allocated to us. Additionally, the purported land documents the River Park Estates and or Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited has been operating with in Lugbe, have been declared null and void and of no consequence in a ruling which has not been set aside or successfully appealed We also wish to state that we are particularly troubled by the name dropping of the representatives and agents of the River Park Estates and or Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited on this matter. The company has boasted about their links in government, naming the relations of government officials at the highest level as part of their illegal enterprise. On this premise, they have advanced the position that nothing can be done to them, irrespective of the damage they are doing to the Abuja Master Plan or the number of plots they illegally take over. From the information at our disposal, we also wish to state that the estate being built by this company in that location is a clear violation of the Abuja master plan as the destination is not one of those earmarked for the building of estates.
If their claims to the effect that the relation of a top government official is behind this project are true; it will be a confirmation of our worst fears, further evidence of the complete breakdown of due process, disregard for the rule of law and shameless nepotism in our dear country. Be this as it may, we wish to unequivocally state that we will deploy very Legal Avenue to call the company and persons behind it to order on this matter. We also call on all well-meaning Nigerians to join us in rebuking this senseless intimidation, violation of the rule of law, criminal encroachment and trespassing by the River Park Estates and or Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited. Today it is us, tomorrow it may be you. The perpetrators of these kinds of criminal enterprises go everywhere, without notice and gap everything. We MUST STOP this madness.
Thank you God bless
Furthermore……
AN Abuja High Court has come hard on the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) over what it termed its unlawful re-allocation of a 474 hectares of land, which encompass the whole of Lugbe 1 Extension Layout, Lugbe District in Abuja, from its original title owners to a South African firm and its Nigerian associate.

The court frowned at attempts by the FCDA to “unlawfully” transfer the said 474 hectares of land to the South African firm, knowing that it had earlier allocated plots encompassing the said land to innocent Nigerians, who were still in possession of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O).

Delivering its judgment on the suit brought by three plaintiffs – Blessed and Precious Children Academy, the Incorporated Trustees of General Building Material Dealers Association, Lugbe Chapter and the Incorporated Trustees of Lugbe 1 Land Owners Association, the judge, Mr. Peter Affem, also barred FCDA from taking any step towards revoking the said 474 hectares of land lawfully allocated by it (FCDA) to which there exist Cs of O, which were still valid and subsisting.

The court stated that the said land were in lawful ownership by the plaintiffs and therefore held that the decision of the FCDA to allocate the said land in issue to another firm was illogical and impracticable as nobody can donate or give to another what it did not have or possess.

Consequently, he ordered: “The defendants whether acting by themselves or through their agents, servants, privies or otherwise howsoever are hereby restrained from expropriating, revoking, re-allocating, re-allotting or granting to any other person(s) any form of right of occupancy or title or in ay manner whatsoever rendering void, invalid, ineffective or ineffectual the plaintiffs’ statutory rights of occupancy over all that parcel or plots of land known as Lugbe 1 Extension Layout, Lugbe District, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja save in accordance with law.”

The judge also ruled that “the grant or allocation in favour of the 2ndDefendant herein (i.e. Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited) as expressed or contained in the Letter of Grant dated 28/5/2007, the Development Lease Agreement dated 28/5/2007 and Deed of Addendum dated 15/9/2009 will be and is hereby declared invalid, null and void to the extent that it covers, concerns, touches upon or affects all that parcel of land known as Lugbe 1 Extension Layout, Lugbe District, Abuja.”

He also restrained FCDA and its co-defendant “from trespassing, entering upon or interfering with or otherwise disturbing the plaintiffs’ enjoyment and possession of all that parcel of land known as Lugbe 1 Extension Layout, Lugbe District, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja save in accordance with law.”

The court had on August 12, 2010, ordered the FCDA and the firms – Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses For Africa Nigeria Limited – to stay off the disputed land area, “pending the final disposal of the substantive suit” brought by hundreds of persons who approached the court for help on the claim that the firms want to take over their lands.

But vexed by the order, the two firms prayed the court to set-aside the order on the ground that they were not properly served with the court processes, which gave birth to the instant restraining order.

Although the firms admitted that their secretary, Queen Elizabeth Inogba, was served with the court processes leading to the said restraining order, they contended that since she is not an employee of the firms at management level, service on her is flawed and therefore the court cannot exercise jurisdiction to issue such order on a party which is deemed not to have been served.

But counsel to the three plaintiffs – Blessed and Precious Children Academy , General Building Material Dealers Association, Lugbe Chapter and Lugbe 1 Land Owners Association, Valentine Offiah, opposed the firms’ application, pointing out that their position misconstrued the true position of the law as regards service of court processes on a company.

In his ruling, the judge held that any order made against a party not served with the court processes is null and void and would be automatically set-aside.

However, Justice Afem held that in the instant case, the service effected on the secretary of the firm, Inogba, was proper service and accordingly valid.

“The application of the 2nd and 3rd respondents accordingly fails and is hereby rejected”, the judge ruled.

So Tinubu has relocated to Abuja?

The authorities are in better position to bring the perpetrators of the land grabbing to book and due punishment metted on him for violating the right of CRD land owners. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.