An Abuja High Court has set aside the revocation order issued by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Sen. Bala Mohammed on a plot of land allocated to Hajia Turai Yar’ Adua, wife of late President Umaru Yar Adua.
Justice Peter Affen voided the revocation order issued by the FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed on the plot of land given to Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation.
The court held that the claim by the FCT Minister that the land was revoked on an overriding public interest was not supported by any shred of evidence before the court.
The court held that the initial letter of offer issued to the wife of the late president by the Minister remained valid and subsisting.
In the words of the Judge: “The defendants failed woefully to adduce any shred of evidence before this court to support their claims that the allocation of the land was revoked on overriding public interest. There is no overriding public interest in this issue. The allocation made to the plaintiff who is a vocational training centre was in public interest and in line with section 28 (1) of Land Use Act”
The court said the exercise of that the power of the Minister to revoke allocation of land must come within the confines of the law.
The disputed land, plot no. 1347 Cadastral Zone AOO, Central Business District, Abuja, FCT, was initially allocated to Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation, WAYEF, while Mrs Yar’adua was First Lady, but the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, revoked the allocation for what he described as “overriding public interest” and reallocated it to Mrs Patience Jonathan for the building of African First Lady Peace Mission Headquarters on 2nd of November, 2011.
Mrs. Yar’Adua complained that the land allocated to her Non-Governmental Organisation on 19 February 2010 was being trespassed upon by Missus. Jonathan and got a court order dated in 2012 restraining the First Lady from acquiring the land
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