Ex-senate president, Olisa Metuh in battle over Abuja land
Second republic Senate President Joseph Wayas has asked a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to save him from outgoing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh and others. The others are a former National Organising Secretary of the PDP, Dr. Musa Babayo, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
According to The Nation, Wayas is demanding N200,500,000 (N200.5m) from those listed.
The ex-Senate President raised the alarm in an April 8, 2016 Statement of Defence and counter-claim filed in the High Court of FCT.
He said he had been at loggerheads with Metuh and Babayo over a plot of land in the posh Asokoro District since 2013.
He said he had been resident at Plot No. 1843 Asokoro Cadastral Zone A04 which is “more particularly described by the Certificate of Occupancy as Plot No. 1843 Asokoro Cadastral Zone A04, File No. CR 829 new file No. CR 10120.”
He said the plot of land was given to him in 2000 and he submitted the site plan to the Department of Development Control, which approved it.
He said he had been in the possession of the land and occupied same for more than 12 years without harassment or molestation.
He said: “That I am an aged man and have lived in fear and anxiety of danger to my life by the plaintiffs (Metuh and Babayo) , the second defendant( the Minister of FCT ) and or their agents who having forcefully demolished my property are determined to deny me of the possession and use thereof by every means necessary.
“That as a result of the actions of the plaintiffs and the 2nd defendant, directly and of through their agents, I have been humiliated and embarrassed and consequently suffered grievous emotional and psychological trauma.
“That the plaintiffs arid natural persons who severally and jointly claim title to a part of my plot of land and instigated the unlawful demolition carried out on my property on the 28th day of February 2013.
“That the land in dispute is the plot of land which was granted to me about the year 2000 via a Certificate of Occupancy by the office of the 2nd defendant (Minister of FCT).
“That I was issued with the Certificate of Occupancy in respect of the property in my name and did comply with all the requirements of the law regarding the said certificate and ownership of the property.
“That my Building Plan was drawn to occupy about 4300sqm out of the total of about 5,000sqm area of the disputed land.
“That I elected to leave about 700sqm of my land due to the road construction project that the the Office of the FCT Minister intended then to execute that would pass beside my plot.
“That I did so to avoid any unforeseeable hazard the road project may occasion to my building and the occupants thereof.”
He said in 2005 he submitted the Original Copy of the C of O to the Office of the FCT Minister through the Abuja Geographic Information System(AGIS)but he was yet to receive any further certificate in replacement thereof.
Wayas said his nightmare started “in the last quarter of 2012 when I was approached by Olisa Metuh claiming that he has been allotted the area that I had left out in consideration of the road project.”
He said Metuh also “requested me to cede a further portion of my land” to have enough space to accommodate his building project.”
He said since 2013, he had been subjected to humiliation and psychological trauma.
But Metuh, in a writ of summons, said he “became seize of the plot of the land by virtue of an allocation by the Office of the Minister of FCT via an offer of Statutory Right of Occupancy dated 16th February , 2011.”
He said by a letter dated 16th April 2011, the Office of the Minister of FCT requested him to “make payment of N14,959,135 as Right of Occupancy and C of O bill( including all fees) which payments were effected in two installments on the 15th of December 2011 and 17th April 2012.
“Upon complying with all the terms and conditions of offer by paying the required statutory fees, the Office of the Minister of FCT issued Metuh a Certificate of Occupancy with No. bf8uw-10-10a-746ar-182eu-10 dated 2nd of July, 2012.”
Metuh said he later donated a Power of Attorney covered by a Certificate of Occupancy with No. bf8uw-10-10a-746ar-182eu-10 dated 2nd of July, 2012 in favour of Dr. Musa Babayo( the 2nd Plaintiff).
“On the 8th of March 2012, the 2nd Plaintiff paid a fee of N102,000 to AGIS for the registration of the Power of Attorney in favour of Babayo and the Power of Attorney was registered as No. 95 page 95, Volume 711A on the 27th of August 2014.
“Sequel to the execution of the Power of Attorney referred to above, the 2nd Plaintiff ( Babayo)bought the property from Metuh for value.”
He said Babayo continued to”enjoy quiet and peaceful possession of the property “ until sometime in 2012 when he discovered that Wayas had committed acts of trespass on the property.”
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