In what would go down as the most celebrated and interesting case of
the year in Nasarawa state, the Gambo family in Tunga, Awe Local
Government of Nasarawa state has filed a case in the State’s High
Court 2 presided over by Justice Aisha B. Aliyu seeking to restrain
the Nasarawa state Government, its agents or privies from trespassing
on their lands measuring 302.17 hectares compulsorily acquired by the
state government and granted to Dangote Group for establishment of a
Sugar Company.
Filing the case for a restraining order, Barristers J.E Agbo and M.A
Sambo of J.E Agbo Chambers, Lafia on behalf of the plaintiff (the
Gambo family) requested the Court to stop the defendants which include
Nasarawa State Government and Dangote Nasarawa Sugar Company Limited,
from trespassing, off-loading heavy duty equipments and doing anything
on the lands pending the hearing and the determination of the
substantive suit.
The lawyers in their submission sought the following reliefs from the
court for their client: cancellation or quashing of all the interest
purportedly granted Dangote Nasarawa Sugar Company Limited by the
Nasarawa State Government over the lands in question, for not
following due process of the Law in acquiring them; payment of
adequate compensation or fair value of the lands in the sum of N142,
874, 000.00; N200, 000,000 as aggravated damages for the trespass on
their clients lands.
The case which came up today May 15, 2018 for first hearing on the
application for the interlocutory injunction sought by the plaintiff’s
lawyers was adjourned to May 23, 2018 following inability of the
defence counsels to respond on time.
It would be recalled that sometime ago, the Gambo family wrote a
letter to the Governor of Nasarawa state dated 8th January, 2018
through J. E Agbo Associates demanding for payment of N142,874,000 as
compensation for 302.17 hectares of lands acquired by the state
government and granted to Dangote for purpose of setting up a Sugar
Company.
They claimed that the N25, 000 paid by the state government for each
hectare was grossly inadequate and against the relevant laws on
compensation of lands in Nasarawa state. They further averred that
each hectare of land is sold for between N100, 000 and N120, 000
depending on the location.
The plaintiff also claimed that only N3, 375,000 was given to them
throug the head of the family in the person of Alhaji Abubakar Gambo
as total compensation for the 302.17 hectares of land .