JUST IN: Court Adjourns Suit Against Ex-Minister Nnaji in N14.5bn Demolition Case

The Enugu State High Court has fixed June 3 to continue hearing a N14.5 billion lawsuit filed against a former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, over the alleged demolition of various properties.

Justice Veronica Ajogwu presided over the matter on Tuesday, where the Nkomoro Onuogba Community in the Enugu East Council Area accused the former minister and one Okwuchukwu Nnaji of destroying their homes and belongings.

The legal action was instituted by 25 representatives of the community who are seeking massive compensation for the loss of their ancestral lands and assets. 

During the proceedings, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Mr. Peter Igwe, requested additional time to regularize his court processes. He explained to the court that the defense team had only served them with their own documents earlier that morning, just as the court was preparing to sit.

Igwe noted that while they needed to review and respond to these documents, the defense had also failed to pay the necessary default fees for filing their papers late.

The defense counsel, Mr. Benjamin Nwobodo, did not oppose the request for more time, agreeing that it would allow both sides to properly align their legal filings. Consequently, Justice Ajogwu adjourned the case to early June.

Speaking to journalists outside the courtroom, Nwobodo dismissed the claims of the community, arguing that the ownership of the land had already been settled by a 2013 court judgment. He stated that the land originally belonged to a man named Alinta, who sold the interest to Prof. Nnaji.

According to him, the demolition was a lawful execution of a court order rather than an arbitrary act by the former minister. 

“The defendant then was served, and judgement was given in 2013. The judgment was that Alinta was the owner of the property. So before Alinta died, he transferred his interest to Prof. Barth Nnaji, who is now the owner of the land, and a long time ago, execution had been carried out by the court and not by any other person,” Nwobodo said. 

He further argued that if Nnaji had committed any criminal act, such as the killings alleged by the plaintiffs, he would have faced criminal charges. He maintained that the current suit “has no root under the law.”

The community’s demands are extensive. In the suit, they are asking for billions of naira to cover the cost of 11 two-storey buildings, six three-storey buildings, 93 duplexes, and 170 bungalows, with each building valued at N50 million. They are also demanding N7 billion—N1 billion each—for seven members of the community they claim were killed during the dispute. 

Furthermore, the plaintiffs are seeking N3.4 billion for looted items, which they listed as including motorcycles, televisions, air conditioners, and other household goods. They are asking the court for a perpetual injunction to stop Nnaji or his agents from further interfering with the land, which they insist is their ancestral heritage.