From Ahmad Mohammed Bauchi
Bauchi State High Court number five presided over by justice Aliyu Baba Usman has delivered judgement over nine years lingering land dispute between Dr Mohammed Bello Waziri Dogo and Babangida Dillali and seven others The suit No /BA/ 154/, 2009 was filed on 8th June 2009 and it went before three judges, late Justice Bala Umar, Justice Bitrus Sanga and Justice Aliyu Baba Usman who delivered the judgement in favor of the plaintiff and ordered the defendants to pay the plaintiff the sum of N5, 250,000 (Five Million Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only).
The plaintiff Dr Waziri through his lawyer Mahmud Yakubu Haruna asked the court to declare him the lawful owner of the piece of land situated and lying at Azare covered by a right of occupancy No/MOW/LLD/LAN/1650 dated 19/8/1997 and certificate of Occupancy No/BA 17669 granted to him by the Bauchi State Government.
He told the court that the defendants erected structures in the plot and asked the court to ordered them to remove the structures or to pay money for the removal of the structures and to pay him N20mn general damages..
The defendants through their Counsel Solomon Daniel claimed that the land is a subject of traditional history to the family of one Usaini Mustapha who was the person who sold the land to the defendants and presented their sales agreement to that effect.
They told the court that even if state government allocated the land to the plaintiff by the Government of Bauchi State ,no compensation was given to them to forfeit their ownership.
Both plaintiff and the defendants presented two witnesses each and tendered some exhibits.
In his judgement Justice Aliyu Baba Usman said after evaluation of the evidence adduced and submission made through written addresses filed by the duo counsels declared that the land belongs to the Plaintiff and ordered the defendants jointly and severally to remove all structure erected on the land, and pay the Plaintiff 5mn general damages and N250, 000 cost of action.
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