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Ex-President's Daughter Forged Land Documents, Federal Capital Territory Minister Tells Court

October 13, 2021

Zainab had sought a legal ac­tion at the court against the FCT minister and three others over the controversial land.

The Min­ister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Bello, has revealed to a Abuja High Court 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.

 

Zainab had sought a legal ac­tion at the court against the FCT minister and three others over the controversial land.

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According to the lawsuit, the ex-President's daughter is seeking the sum of N500million as general damages against the FCT minister and the other defendants.

 

She also wanted the court order for a per­petual injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd defendants and their agents from laying claim to the property.

 

However, in a joint statement of defence to the suit over the ownership of Plot 506, Zone B 09, Kado District, Abuja, the minis­ter and the Federal Capital De­velopment Authority (FCDA) who are 3rd and 4th defendants refuted ever allocating any plot of land to the plaintiff.

 

The minister insisted on Tuesday that there was nothing to prove that the former president’s daughter ever applied for land in the FCT or made any payment officially or otherwise to FCDA to entitle her to any land in Abuja.

 

In the defence statement dat­ed September 21, 2021 and filed by their lawyer, Mr. Yakubu Abubakar, the minister and FCDA informed the court that Zainab claimed ownership of the plot of the Abuja land through a power of attorney which the donor, one Haliru Malami, later disowned as purported seller.

 

The respondents maintained that before filing the court case, Zainab had allegedly issued 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, expressing that the plain­tiff paid any money whether offi­cial or otherwise as regards to the land, adding that their review of events revealed that the registra­tion of the purported power of attorney was irregular.

 

More so, the respondents affirmed 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.

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Legal