Malam Muhammad Bello, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 told a High Court of the FCT that Zainab, the daughter of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, allegedly forged several documents to lay claim to ownership of a disputed plot of land in Abuja.
The minister alleged that there was nothing empirical to back up the acquisition of land, that the former President’s daughter ever applied for land in the FCT or made any payment to the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to enable her own any land in Abuja.
In a joint statement of defence to a legal action instituted by Zainab on the ownership of Plot 506, Zone B 09, Kado District, Abuja, the minister and the FCDA, who are 3rd and 4th defendants in the suit, denied ever allocating any land to the plaintiff.
The former president daughter, through her company, Marumza Estate Development Company Limited, had dragged Itban Global Resources Limited, Haliru Malami, FCT minister and FCDA before a High Court of the FCT laying claim to the land, purporting to have purchased it from the FCDA through It an and Malami.
Specifically, Zainab, by the suit, is seeking the sum of N500 million as general damages against the FCT minister and the other defendants, just as she sought for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd defendants and their agents from laying claim to the property.
The respondents averred that before filing the court case, Zainab had allegedly given conflicting accounts of how the land was purportedly acquired through a former minister of the FCT as well as acquisition by way of purchase from the 1st defendant.
They submitted that the 1st defendant, who allegedly sold the land, issued a letter on March, 4, 2021, denying ever selling the land and ever issuing power of attorney to the plaintiff.
They further argued that there was nothing in the records of their Department of Land Administration and the Abuja Geographic Information System, indicating that the plaintiff paidanymoneywhetherofficial or otherwise in respect of the land, adding that their review of eventsrevealedthattheregistration of the purported power of attorney was irregular.
More so, the respondents stated that upon the discovery that the plaintiff was laying claim to the plot of land through irregular documents, they voided and set aside a certificate of occupancy purportedly obtained from FCDA.
Therefore, they are praying the court to dismiss the case with cost because she is not entitled to any claim in the originating summons.
Meanwhile, the presiding judge, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, has granted permission to the plaintiff to amend her statement of claim and subsequently fixed December 15 and 16 for definite hearing of the matter.
