By Ibrahim Ramalan
Abuja
Niger state High Court, sitting in Suleja town, has adjourned a land dispute suit filed by Wakili Nupawa, the traditional ruler of Nupe speaking residents, Alhaji Nda Isah Abdullahi, and 327 others against the Village Head of Numba Koro, Abdullahi Barde, till January 30, 2017, for further hearing.
Presiding judge, during hearing recently, granted prayers of the defence counsel for extension of time to file and serve memorandum of appearance and reply to motion out of time.
Abdullahi and other Plaintiffs are seeking the court declaration that “the Defendant having sold part of his land to the 1st Plaintiff has no right under any guise to reclaim the said land forcefully without following due process of law.
“Declaration that the act of the Defendant and to wit entering the laintiffs’ land with his agents and placing a signboard on the land of the plaintiffs’ without express consent of the plaintiffs’ amounts to or/and constitute trespass on the land of the plaintiffs.
Besides, the statement of claim filed by counsel to the plaintiffs A. M. Idris Esq of Idris Abdullahi and Co., Providence Chambers, Suleja, read in parts that the first plaintiff acquired the land in question from the Village Head of Numba Koro and two other indigenes.
It also recalled that “sometime in the year 2008 due to financial predicament and his desire to assist others the first plaintiff began to dispose of some parts of his land lawfully acquired to different persons measuring 50ft x 50ft each to the individuals in Suleja cutting across tribe, religion and race.”
In a chat with journalists shortly after hearing on the matter, Abdullahi, who led two other lawyers, Messrs Nuhu Edah and Mhir Msom, vowed to pursue the matter diligently with a view to getting justice for all 328 plaintiffs.
