BEVERLY HILLS, January 27, (THEWILL) – The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a suit filed by the Federal Government seeking an order to wrestle the control and management of its land in Lagos state from the state government.
The dispute between both governments was centred on “general control and management of federal land within Lagos State particularly the re-issuance of certificates of occupancy, granting consent or exercising rights of ownership”.
Delivering its ruling, a five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, unanimously struck out the legal action filed by Federal Government after upholding the preliminary objection raised by the Lagos Government challenging the competence of the suit.
Justice Dattijo Muhammad, who read out the lead judgment of the Supreme Court on the matter, agreed with the Lagos government that the court lacked the power to exercise its “original jurisdiction” in the suit because the Federal Government had “transferred its title in the land to others”.
