Court rejects Abacha family’s N500m lawsuit against Nigerian govt

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, challenging the Federal Government’s revocation of one of their properties in the Maitama District of Abuja.

In his judgment on Monday, Justice Lifu dismissed the suit, citing it as statute-barred among other grounds.

“The suit, filed in 2015, was brought nine years after the revocation of the property, making it invalid under the law,” Justice Lifu stated.

This marks the fourth legal defeat for the Abacha family concerning their property claims. Previous attempts in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory and the Court of Appeal were also unsuccessful on jurisdictional grounds.

“The plaintiffs lacked legal standing to file the suit,” Justice Lifu affirmed, agreeing with arguments presented by the defendants, including Salamed Ventures Limited.

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The family had sought to nullify the revocation of their Certificate of Occupancy for a property located at Osara Close, Maitama, which they claimed was done unlawfully and without compensation.

“The court also noted breaches of building regulations on the property, which justified the revocation,” Justice Lifu concluded.

The court awarded costs of N500,000 against the plaintiffs, to be paid to Salamed Ventures Limited, the fourth defendant in the suit.

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