Court lifts injunction on Ile Arugbo, Asa investment penalised

Date: 2020-08-07

Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Thursday lifted the interim injunction restraining the state government from constructing anything on the civil service clinic land Ile Arugbo.

The lifting of the injunction by the court presided over by Justice Abiodun Adebara followed repeated failure of counsel to the claimant, Asa Investment Limited, to appear before the court to fully prosecute its case. Asa Investment Limited, which is purportedly owned by the late Dr Olusola Saraki, had taken the Kwara State Government to court after the latter reclaimed the land, which it said, was unlawfully taken over by the firm without any right of occupancy or payment to the owner, the state government.

Justice Adebara also awarded a penalty of N200,000 each in favour of all the four defendants; Kwara State Governor, Attorney General, House of Assembly, and Bureau of Lands and another N50,000 to the police on account of the failure of the claimant to allow the case to proceed to hearing on various occasions.

Justice Adebara took the decision after the counsel to the claimant, Akin Onigbinde, SAN, again, failed to attend the court session on Thursday.

Onigbinde instead sent a letter, accompanied with a medical report, saying he was advised to undergo bed rest between 3rd and 10th of August, 2020.

After many adjournments at the instance of the claimant, Onigbinde had again on July 8 agreed to an adjournment for July 22 but he later said he could not make the sitting.

That led to the adjournment to August 6 which Onigbinde again did not attend allegedly on medical grounds.

Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Kwara State, Salman Jawondo, who appeared for the government, said the claimant was "deliberately wasting the time of the court" and urged Justice Adebara to dismiss the case for lack of diligent prosecution and to award N250,000 penalty each against the claimant and in favour of the defendants.

Jawondo, who insisted that Asa Limited was just buying time with the numerous adjournments, wondered why other counsel to the claimant cannot continue with the case in the absence of Onigbinde.

The Police, which is the fifth defendant in the case, aligned with the government's position that the case should be struck out. The court awarded only N200,000 each in favour of the first four defendants and another N50,000 in favour of the police.

Justice Adebara however adjourned the matter till September 23 and 24 to allow the claimant's counsel to continue the case, warning that he would not grant any other adjournment after this.

The government had in January reclaimed the land which it said was originally meant for the construction of the civil service secretariat but was unlawfully gifted out to a private firm in 2005 without any payment or certificate of ownership.

Asa Investment Limited, which claims ownership of the land, thereafter challenged the action of the government in the court.

Source

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Muazam Nayaya     Nigerian Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs     Razaq Ayobami Akanbi     Adama Isa     Oba Of Jebba     Joana Nnazua Kolo     Tunde Saad     Oyedun Juliana Funke     Mamman Saba Jibril     Raliat Islamic Foundation     Oladimeji Thompson     Mohammed Saidu     Folajimi Aleshinloye     V.O. Abioye     Raliat Elelu-Habeeb     Christopher Tunji Ayeni     Aishat Sulu-Gambari     Afeyin-Olukuta     Sa\'adatu Modibbo-Kawu     Sobi Specialist Hospital     Nupe     Ike Ekweremadu     Kwara State Government     Ilorin Muslim Community     Barakat Community Secondary School     Kehinde Boyede     Mujtabah Bature     Ahmed Bayero     Ado Bayero     Ridhwanullah Al-Ilory     Farouk Salim     Abdulmajeed Abdullahi     FOMWAN     Basit Olatunji     Orire     Kwara 2019     Issa Baba     Obasanjo     Hijaab     Oluwatoyin Lukman     Www.Kwarareports.com     Aliyu Muyideen     Akande Idowu Ayoola Muhammed     Bureau Of Lands     Simeon Sule Ajibola     Mahmud Ayinla Giwa     General Hospital, Offa     Aliyu Kora-Sabi     Alabi Olayemi Abdulrazak     Habeeb Saidu     Musa Ayinla Yeketi     Issa Memunat Moyosore     Kola Ologbondiyan     Sa\'adu Gambari     Umar Yakubu Jaja     Mahmud Babatunde Baker     Ilota     Abdul-Rahoof Bello     Abdulrahman Abdullahi Kayode     Mohammed Abduraheem     Ahmed Ayinla Jimoh     Raymond Olaitan     Labour Party     Sodiya     Shehu Jimoh     Kwara TV     Aliyu Muhammad Saifudeen     Kayode Issa     Hussein Olokooba     Isiaka Rafiu Mope     Senior Staff Union Of Colleges Of Education     New Model Police Station     ASMAU PLAZA     Saliu Tunde Bello     Maryam Ado Bayero     Jelili Yusuf     Esinniobiwa Quareeb    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

School Of Nursing     Hassan Taiye Salam     Yusuf Amuda Gobir     Seed Technologies     Yahaya Seriki Gambari     TESCOM     Sa\'adu Salahu     Quran     Aisha Ahman-Pategi     Yomi Ogunsola     Ahmed Saidu Rufai     Tunji Folami     Olatomiwa Williams     Ethical College     Curfew     AbdulRasaq Abdulmajeed Alaro     State Bureau Of Internal Revenue     Ado Bayero     Maja     Damilola Yusuf     IPSAS     Onilupeju Of Ilupeju     Mazars Consulting     Centre For Digital Economy     COVID     KWACOBPA     Gobirawa     Olayinka Are     Aso Ofi     Bluenile Associates     Abubakar Abdulraheem     QuickWin     Eruku     Alaaya     Bank Of Industry     Yusuf Abubakar     Innocent Okoye     Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission     Orisun Igbomina     Sobi Specialist Hospital     Hauwa Nuru     Na\'Allah     Rachael Obisesan     Olateju Lukman     Ogbondoroko     Share     Jumoke F. Ajao     Elerin Of Adanla Irese     Abdulfatai Baakini     Musa Abdullahi     Kishira     Eleja Taiwo Banu     Abubakar Aliagan     C2c@kwarastate.gov.ng     Salman Alada     Senior Special Assistant On Student Affairs     Agbarigidoma     Kubra Kazum     Chief Imam Of Ilorin     Hydro-electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission     Baakini     Oja-Oba     Sanitation Exercise     Wasiu Onidugbe     Olushola Saraki     MalHub     Shururat Olatinwo     Musibau Akanji     Garba Ado Sanni     James Ayeni     Moremi High School     Quareeb     New Model Police Station     Lanre Jimoh     Mohammed Yisa     Bello Oyedepo     Dar-Al-Handasah Consultants Ltd