By Lukman Olabiyi
JUSTICE Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos yesterday ruled that the objection raised by the Federal Government on a dispute over the concession agreement of the Murtala Mohammed Airport II, Ikeja, Lagos, lacked merit.
Justice Buba gave the verdict while ruling on an application filed by FG, challenging the court’s jurisdiction in the suit filed by Bi-Courtney Limited.
According to the court, the application did not show how the reliefs sought by the plaintiff are outside the court’s jurisdiction.
The applicant is claiming N66 billion as damages arising from an alleged breach of a concession agreement for the redevelopment of the domestic terminal of the Murtala Mohammed Airport II, Ikeja.
Respondents in the suit are Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The applicant alleged the Federal Government owes it N132 billion, adding that it was not indebted to AMCON which had sought to take over its assets over an alleged debt.
Among Bi-Courtney’s prayers is an order of injunction restraining AMCON or its agents from taking any steps to recover the alleged debt or interfere in its management of MMA II, until the AGF fulfills its obligation under the concession agreement.
The AGF, through its lawyer Prof. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), had argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain suit on the ground that the reliefs sought by the plaintiff had been decided upon by Justice G. Olotu of an Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.
He said the suit constituted an abuse of court process and should be dismissed.