Court begins contempt proceeding against NASRDA DG

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Court is to begin contempt proceedings against the Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr. Halilu Ahmad Shaba.

This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by Nuhu Dodondawa Auta, President, FCT Gbagyi Youth Association.

It said the case is in respect to the Agency’s disobedience to court order made against the Agency.

It would be recalled that a certain peasant farmer in the community of Piwoyi village, along Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road, Abuja Mr. Yohanna Nyibiro Bawa through his lawyer Mr. James Egah Ndeye, issued a Writ of Summons against the National Space Research and Development Agency, popularly known as Obasanjo Space Center, along Airport Road, Abuja on the 21st day of October, 2022.

The case was for encroachment into his farmland situate at the premises of the Agency on a purported acquisition of the land by the Agency but without payment of compensation to him and other members of his family.

Mr. Yohanna Nyiboro Bawa, who filed the suit No: FCT/HC/CV/73/2022 through his lawyer James Egah Ndeye Esq; at the FCT High court claimed that the Plaintiff and his family members have equitable and exclusive possessory right in an undisturbed long possession devolving through their predecessors from time immemorial over the said land measuring about 12 Hectares situate at the premises the Defendants now redesignated as Obasanjo Space Center.

“A Declaration that the purported compulsory acquisition of the Plaintiff’s farmland by the Defendants in disregard to safeguard of acquisition law is a flagrant infraction into the Plaintiff’s fundamental right to fair hearing, right to property and right to compensation as guaranteed under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

iii. An order compelling the Defendant to provide alternative farmland to the Plaintiff and members of his family for the purpose of carrying on their farming activities which is their only means and source of livelihood.

“The sum of 2,000,000,000 (Two Billion Naira) only being general damages to the Plaintiff and members of his family for that act of trespass, destruction of their economic trees and violation of their fundamental rights to fair hearing, property as guaranteed under section 36, 43 and 44 of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria.

“In the process of the adjudication by the FCT High court sitting in Kuje, the lawyer for the peasant farmer, Mr. James Egah Ndeye filed a Motion on Notice No: M/40/2023 seeking for an Order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Defendants/Respondents, their agents, servants, employees, representatives or privies or any other person acting for them or on their behalf or deriving authority from them from further trespassing, encroachment and/or taking over the Plaintiff’s farmland thereby destroying their economic trees or doing anything that would affect the Plaintiff’s interest and rights on their farmland known and called Nyiboro family farmland situate at Galu farm area, Piwoyi otherwise now known as Obasanjo Space Center, Airport Road, Abuja measuring about 12 hectares.”