Land dispute: FG fails to settle Turai, Patience out of court
Patience Jonathan and Turai Yar’adua
The planned talks for an out of court settlement of the legal battle between First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and the former First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua, over a choice plot of land situated at Cadastral Zone in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has collapsed.
When the case came up yesterday before Justice Peter Affen of an Abuja High Court, the federal government through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) was informed that parties in the suit could not reach amicable settlement
The AGF had offered to settle the matter amicably out of court.
Investigation revealed that authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) offered an alternative plot to the Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation (WAYEF) a non-governmental organization (NGO) belonging to Hajiya Turai, but it was rejected.
It was gathered that the offer was rejected because the land was said to be too small and incapable of replacing or compensating its objectives.
Specifically, two separate plots of land were offered to Turai’s NGO to choose from. The first plot No. 818 measuring 5333 square meters is located at the Central Area close to Akwa Ibom House; while the second plot No. 3367 is along Airport Road, Wawa district, measuring 2.1 hectares.
The legal representatives of WAYE, from the law firm of Adamu, Ahmed, Ibrahim & Co, noted that while the first plot is within a green area, the second plot of land falls within an un-approved layout of the city.
The law firm, however, indicated the willingness of its client to discontinue with the law suit and waive the cost of damages only if the defendants would allow them to resume work at the site.
Filed Under: News
