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The Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, presided over by Honorable Justice A. Aluko, has advised the parties in the suit over the ongoing Lagos-Calabar highway realignment to maintain the status quo.
This is just as a coalition of civil society organizations, again, on Thursday, picketed the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, to protest against the non-payment of compensation and what they described as illegal realignment of the road.
The matter is between Foreign Investors Network of Nigeria against Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Minister of Works, David Umahi, Controller of Works, Lagos, and Hitech Construction Company.
The plaintiff, serving as the umbrella body of Nigerian investors whose properties were demolished following the realignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in the Okun Ajah area of Lagos State, are seeking justice over the lost investment.
The aggrieved investors had, during the Thursday sitting, prayed the judge to grant an injunction restraining the defendants and their agents from further demolition of their properties, after a large part of it had already been destroyed.
Justice Akintayo Aluko, though, refusing to make any official pronouncement on the prayers of the plaintiffs, advised them and the defendants to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the suit.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Valerian Nwadike, while speaking with journalists after the sitting, said “The matter came up for the first time today, and all parties were represented in court.
My Lord did not make an official announcement or an order. My Lord gave an admonition to all parties to maintain status quo, not to destroy the res so there won’t be any further admonitions.
“And that parties should take steps not to hamper the subject matter of the suit. So, I don’t want to comment further, because the matter is already before the court, and we respect whatever My Lord says.”
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Meanwhile, hundreds of civil society organization members were at court to protest against what they described as injustice against the victims of the demolition.
Armed with placards with inscriptions such as “$250 million gone, Is this renewed hope?” “Release abducted Obanla”, “David Umahi, your road is paved with injustice” “Mr. President, we are not against Coastal Road but we are victims of impunity, who are stripped of justice.”
One of the leaders of the coalition, Shina Loremikan, while speaking during the protest, said, “We are delighted that our issue is before the court and we want the court to critically look at this issue”.
He continued: “What are you paying a property owner for an acre of land? Is it the same thing that you are paying a property owner of a three-bedroom flat? And a property owner of a duplex? And we are saying this is 21st century?
“We need to do things the way they should be done so that we can further encourage foreign investments.”
He warned that, “traditional cultural values like these intimidate people and they feel, instead of coming to Nigeria, let me look elsewhere.
“So many other countries are competing for investments, namely: Ghana, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco. If we continue like this under the excuse that we are providing infrastructure for people and they don’t know the ABC of that infrastructure, we’ll be having problems like X, Y, Z.”
Another lawyer, Tahir Daramola, stated that the Federal Government did not fulfil all the requirements to acquire the land from the investors who, according to him, invested over $250 million in the projects.
