From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Hearing in the 25-year-old land dispute initiated against the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, PCN, has been shifted to November 30 by a High Court of Nasarawa State.
Meanwhile, irked by the slow pace of the case that began in 1999, Justice S.A. Ayiwuku has threatened to close the case of the plaintiff if he fails to proceed with the matter at the next adjourned date.
At the last adjourned date, the plaintiff’s subpoenaed witness, Idris Mohammed, a civil servant with the Nasarawa State Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, said he was only able to lay his hands on one out of the three files he was summoned to produce in court.
Mohammed, who said his duties included file recording and giving evidence in court, pleaded with the court for more time to trace the remaining files.
It was on this basis that the judge threatened to close the plaintiff’s case if those files relating to the dispute since 1997 were not made available at the next adjourned date.
In a writ of summons marked NSD/K87/97, a private firm, Nasbago Limited, initiated the action against the Registered Trustees of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria and Habila Gbegbe (sued as the Administration of the Estate of Etsu Nyanya Gbegbe).
At the centre of the dispute is a portion of land situated at Maraba Gurku, alongside the boundary between Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), south of the Mobile Police checkpoint.
The plaintiff claimed that, sometime ago, he acquired the plot of land, currently housing the church building, from the paramount traditional ruler of New Karu, Etsu Karu Ishaku Bulus, with intent to establish a processing factory.
But, while the clearing of the land had commenced in preparation for development, it was challenged by the Bawa family, who dragged its Managing Director before an Upper Area Court, Keffi, claiming ownership of the land.
The plaintiff, however, stated that the matter was amicably settled out of court, and, thereafter, took possession of the land by paying the Bawa family the sum of N152. 000.00.
The company said, after some time, the church trespassed onto the northern portion of its plot and constructed its present building. It was, therefore, asking the court for an order that the church building on the said plot be demolished and cleared off.
However, in its statement of defence, the church stated that it acquired the land in dispute, measuring about 0.81 hectres, from Mallam Gbegbe Bawa (who is sued as 2nd defendant), as described in the survey plan it attached it’s application for Certificate of Occupancy, which was subsequently approved and issued on June 16, 1988.