From Abel Leonard, Lafia
A high court sitting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, presided over by Justice Simon Aboki, has fixed May 5 to visit a disputed land said to belong to Gbenda Igbaa Aken Family alleged to have been taken over by Aliko Dangote GCON and group of Companies.
Daily Sun had reported that family members of Ojile Gbenda Akeen of Tunga district, in Awe Local government Area had dragged Nasarawa government, Dangote Sugar Company to court for allegedly encroachment into their ancestral land.
The Ojila/Gbenda Igba Akeen of Tunga district in Awe local government area of Nasarawa had asked the court to stop Aliko Dangote and company from further encroachment into their farmland and destruction of their ancestral grave.
The plaintiffs in the case prayed to the court to recover three hundred hectares of their land for them.
When the case came hearing both parties file interlocutory injunction as two motions were mentioned for the extension of time brought in by the first defendant.
Counsel to the plaintiff Barr Stephen Akpehe averred that both the counsel to Dangote Sugar Company and counsel to the third defendant, the Nasaraea state government had been allowed to file a motion defending their matter.
He further explained that the plaintiff was denied the 200m naira promised to be given to the affected persons in those Communities by Dangote as part of his social responsibility but his plaintiff was denied the token.
He further explained that Dangote promised to come back and negotiate a settlement, compensation to the plaintiff again non of them benefited.
‘I want to tell you that the land is not for sale, Dangote Group of Companies is hundred per cent owner by Dangote, so he is not taking that land for overriding public interest, even if he is taking it for public interest the law demand prompt compensation.
Counsel for defendant Raymond Umaru agreed that the court gave room for everybody to give his own defence.
In a motion file by counsel to the plaintiff stopping the company from operating on the land Umaru maintained that the land can only be taken if the court visits the land in question.