Court Ends 19-Year Property Battle, Orders Eviction And Awards Damages
After nearly two decades of legal contention, the Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf, has delivered a decisive ruling in a 19-year-old property dispute involving Plot No. 713, Cadastral Zone B14, Dutse District, Abuja.
In his judgment, Justice Yusuf ordered Uche Okoli and his firm, Multi-Shelter Nigeria Limited, to vacate the property in favour of Dr. Ngozika Nwaneri, a U.S.-based surgeon and businessman. The court also awarded Dr. Nwaneri ₦10 million as general damages for trespass and ₦1 million as the cost of the suit.
Additionally, the court ordered Okoli and his firm to pay a total of ₦190 million to a subscriber, Mr. Henry Anuforo, for costs incurred in building on parts of the disputed plot sold to him by Multi-Shelter.
The protracted case began in 2005 when Dr. Nwaneri engaged Okoli to purchase plots of land in Abuja. Okoli provided documents for three plots, which were later found to be inauthentic by the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS). After a legal battle involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Okoli agreed to transfer Plot 713 as compensation to Nwaneri.
However, Okoli later reneged, claiming he was coerced into the agreement. He filed a suit seeking to reclaim the property, arguing that the transfer documents were signed under duress.
Justice Yusuf dismissed the claims of Okoli and his co-plaintiffs, describing their actions as fraudulent and unethical. The judge was particularly critical of their continued sale and development of the disputed property despite a 2018 court injunction.
In a detailed verdict, the court upheld the validity of the 2013 agreement transferring Plot 713 to Nwaneri. It also issued a perpetual injunction preventing Okoli and his associates from interfering with the property.
Justice Yusuf commended Dr. Nwaneri’s legal counsel, Dr. Lilian Ojimma, for her resilience against the “community of parties and intrigues” in the case.
