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JUST IN: Court strikes out suit against Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road

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The Federal High Court in Lagos has declined jurisdiction in a suit challenging the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, striking out the case brought by residents and property owners in the Okun-Ajah community of Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Lagos State.

Justice Akintayo Aluko, in a consolidated ruling on multiple preliminary objections raised by the defendants, held that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

Consequently, the case, marked FHC/L/CS/1488/2024, was struck out.

However, the Judge directed that the suit be transferred to the Lagos State High Court, which he deemed the appropriate forum to adjudicate on the issues raised.

The Plaintiffs, Chief Saheed Olukosi (Akogun of Okun-Ajah Community), Noibi Issa Afolayan, Yussuf Odunuga Sulaiman, Olufemi Fasehun, and Adeola Tokunbo filed the suit on behalf of Okun-Ajah residents and affected property owners, seeking to halt the coastal road project over alleged encroachment on their lands.

They asked the court to nullify any construction or planning activity on their properties, alleging unlawful encroachment and trespass.

Among the reliefs sought were orders to invalidate the road designs affecting their land, to restrain the authorities and contractor from continuing construction on the disputed area, and to award damages for the alleged trespass.

The defendants named in the suit include the Honourable Minister of Works, Dr. Dave Umahi; Engineer Olukorede Keisha; the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing; Lagos State Attorney-General; the Lagos Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development; Surveyor-General of Lagos State; General Manager of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority; General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency; and Hitech Construction Limited.

In response, the 1st to 3rd and 9th Defendants filed separate preliminary objections challenging the jurisdiction of the court.

Represented by Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Prof. J.O. Olatoke, SAN; Y.A.H. Ruba, SAN; Roy U. Nwaeze, SAN; and Ibukun Fasoro, they argued that the matter fell outside the purview of the Federal High Court.

The preliminary objections were supported by affidavits, to which the plaintiffs responded with a counter-affidavit.

In his ruling, Justice Aluko upheld the objections, stating that the legal questions raised and the reliefs sought were more appropriately handled by the Lagos State High Court. He ruled in favour of the Defendants, bringing proceedings at the Federal High Court to a close.

“Counsel to the Plaintiffs made an alternative submission in his written address, urging the court not to strike out this suit if the court finds that it lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate over the case.

“Counsel urged the court to transfer this suit to the State High Court, instead of striking out same.

“I agree with Counsel on this request, as this court possesses the needed power and jurisdiction to accede to such prayer.

“This court is fortified under Section 22(2) of the Federal High Court Act, which provides thus: ‘No cause or matter shall be struck out by the court merely on the ground that such cause or matter was taken in the court instead of the High Court of a State or of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in which it ought to have been brought, and the Judge of the court before whom such cause or matter is brought may cause such cause or matter to be transferred to the appropriate High Court of a State or at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in accordance with Rules of Court to be made under Section 44 of this Act.

“The Objections of the 1st-3rd and 9th Defendant/Objectors are therefore, sustained. This court has no jurisdiction to adjudicate over the subject-matter in this case.

“Pursuant to Section 22(2) of the Federal High Court Act, this suit is accordingly transferred to the Lagos State High Court as the appropriate court for adjudication”, Justice Aluko held.

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FG Launches Counter Terrorism Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030

For ours, the question is clear: How do we secure our nation, safeguard our people and set Nigeria irreversibly on the path of peace, growth and stability?“ The Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030 answers this question with vision, discipline and ambition.

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The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has formally unveiled Nigeria’s Counter Terrorism Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030.

The Strategic Plan was put together by the National Counter Terrorism Centre in the Office of the National Security Adviser.

In his Keynote address, Akpabio said the occasion was not merely the launch of another policy document but a defining moment in the nation’s journey.

“It is a moment when Nigeria again reaffirms that our people deserve to live without fear, that our children deserve a future of peace, and that our nation must be secured to prosper,” he said.

The Senate President remarked that every generation faced a question that history demanded it must answer.

“For ours, the question is clear: How do we secure our nation, safeguard our people and set Nigeria irreversibly on the path of peace, growth and stability?“ The Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030 answers this question with vision, discipline and ambition.

It offers a framework for transforming our institutions, modernising our security architecture, strengthening national resilience and expanding partnerships across government, industry, civil society and the international community”

“As President of the Senate, I have seen how insecurity weakens the foundations of development. Investors withdraw, schools close, farmers abandon their fields, and hope retreats from the hearts of our young people.

That is why a pragmatic, forward-looking and implementation-driven plan such as this is timely, necessary and welcome.”

(Independent)

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Delta Police Dismiss Bandits Invasion of Girls Secondary School Kwale

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• Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda

The Delta State Police Command said that the rumoured invasion of Girls’ Secondary School, Utagba-Ogbe, Kwale, today was entirely false and misleading.

In a statement, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, clarified that upon receiving the report, the Command immediately ordered a coordinated response and deployed the DCO Kwale Division, SP Udofia Kufre, to lead a patrol team for immediate on-the-ground verification and security assessment.

The Vice Principal of the school and the security man on duty were interviewed, and both confirmed that no attack occurred and that the panic emanated solely from misinformation among students.

As a precautionary measure, adjoining schools within the Kwale axis were visited and all were found to be calm, safe, and in a normal academic session.

Parents who rushed to pick up their children are advised to remain calm, as the earlier rumour has been decisively addressed and normalcy has been fully restored.

CP Olufemi Abaniwonda warns strongly against the spread of unverified rumours capable of causing fear or disrupting academic activities.

The CP reiterated the Command’s unwavering resolve to respond swiftly to any credible threat while ensuring the safety of all educational institutions across the state.

He further urges school authorities to strengthen internal communication, promptly report suspicious observations to the nearest police formation, and maintain close collaboration with local security outfits to enhance monitoring around school environments.

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Okonjo-Iweala Decries Kidnappings of school children, teachers

As a mother I am greatly saddened by the kidnappings in our country, particularly of our children and teachers from places of learning.

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The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has expressed worries over the escalating wave of kidnappings across Nigeria, particularly the abduction of schools children and teachers.

Okonjo-Iweala in a post on X said she was “greatly saddened” by the disturbing trend, stressing that the attacks on learning institutions have inflicted fear, trauma, and uncertainty on families nationwide.

“As a mother I am greatly saddened by the kidnappings in our country, particularly of our children and teachers from places of learning.

” My heart goes out to the children and all those kidnapped and to their families living in fear and uncertainty,” she said.

She prays for the safe return of all abductees and strength for parents and relatives enduring the ordeal.

“May those taken be found, rescued, and returned safely into the arms of those who love them.

We pray God for their protection and strength for every parent and relative waiting,” she added.

Her comments come amid a series of mass abductions targeting schools and farming communities in several states in Nigeria, which has led to renewed calls for urgent action to protect citizens and restore security nationwide.

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