Durbar Hotel: Court Fixes Date For Late Dictator, Sani Abacha’s Family To Prove Ownership

Sani Abacha

According to a report by SaharaReporters, a High Court sitting in Kaduna State has fixed April 4, 2022 for proof of case in the suit brought before it by Durbar Hotel Plc. against the Kaduna State Government.

The family a late former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, had dragged the state government before the court over alleged illegal demolition of the property; alleged plans by the State government to take over the property despite pending appeal on the matter at the Supreme Court, which the state government filed challenging the verdicts of lower courts.

Three Senior Advocates of Nigeria and seven other senior lawyers were employed to secure the hotel for the family.

Counsel for the defendants, Mustapha A.U. (SAN), represented by Sule Umar, at the resumed hearing of the suit on Thursday, informed the court that the defendants had filed a case of change of counsel, requesting for a new date.

However, counsel to the Abacha’s family, Dr Reuben Atabor (SAN), expressed concern over the energy being wasted on the matter by the defendants for proposing an appeal on a matter that had lingered on for the past two years.

“But we are ready to prove our case by next sitting,” Atabo told the court in his submissions.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Hannatu Balogun, adjourned the further hearing on the proof of case by the counsel to Durbar Hotel Plc to April 4, 2022.

The hotel, located along Muhammadu Buhari Way (WAFF road) by Independence Way in the metropolis “is demanding a declaration that it is the titleholder of the parcel of land measuring about 5.378 hectares and covered by Kaduna State Certificate of Occupancy No 17789, Kaduna North Local Government Area.

“A declaration that the demolition of the plaintiff’s property situates and lying at General Certificate of Occupancy of 7th May 1990 by the Kaduna State Government is unconstitutional, illegal, null, and void.”

The hotel is also asking the court for an order of injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, servants, privies, and whosoever from transferring, assigning or selling in any way part of the property.