By Adenike Lawal
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), High Court, sitting in Jikwoyi-Kurudu, will on Monday, October 6, 2025, hear a motion seeking judicial review of the report and recommendations of the ministerial committee set up by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, over the protracted dispute surrounding River Park Estate in Lugbe, Abuja.
The presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Zubairu, fixed the hearing date following an ex parte application filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Anthony Malik, alongside counsels Homa Ihunwo and Edward Ajaba, on behalf of the applicants, Paulo Homes Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited.
The motion, marked M/11417/2025, lists the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), as respondents.
In his ruling on the ex parte motion dated September 11 and heard on September 17, Justice Zubairu granted the applicants leave to seek a judicial review by way of certiorari, effectively halting all actions related to the committee’s findings.
“I have carefully examined the affidavits and written submissions before the court. I find that the application meets the requirements of the law and has been duly filed in compliance with the court’s rules. Accordingly, it is granted as prayed,” the judge stated in the certified order.
According to the enrolled order dated September 17, the court’s approval of the application automatically operates as a stay of further actions connected to the River Park matter, pursuant to Order 43 Rule 3(6)(a) of the FCT High Court Rules, 2025.
The motion, supported by an eight-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Zainab Suleiman, seeks to quash the committee’s proceedings, report, and recommendations concerning Plot 4, Cadastral Zone E30, River Park Estate, Lugbe – submitted to the FCT Minister on September 2, 2025.
The applicants further requested an order compelling the respondents to produce the complete report and records of the committee’s deliberations for judicial review.
Additionally, Paulo Homes Nigeria Ltd and Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd filed for an interim injunction restraining the FCT Minister, the FCDA, and their agents or representatives from implementing or acting on the committee’s recommendations pending the determination of a substantive motion for interlocutory injunction.
The case highlights ongoing tensions over land ownership, allocation, and administrative oversight in Abuja’s rapidly expanding districts.
The court’s upcoming decision is expected to play a crucial role in determining the future of the River Park Estate dispute and its implications for real estate development within the FCT.
