In the suit number CV/694/14, Messrs Bolade Oyebolu, Juwon Adenuga, Adelowo Adesola, Sobo Onasanya, on behalf of themselves and 34 other owners of land within the Kuruduma Layout of the FCT brought a case against the FCDA and the FCT Minister. The plaintiffs are asking the court not to allow the defendants dispossess them of the Kuruduma land which they acquired by proper, legitimate and valid means. The Counsels for both sides closed their arguments on January 28. Judgment is expected within 90 days. Although the counsel for the defendants (FCDA and FCT minister) insisted that Kuruduma District did not exist, counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr. Valentine Offia, argued that his clients had submitted numerous documents issued by the different agencies and departments administered by the defendants including but not limited to Abuja Geographical Information Systems, AACTRIS, Surveys, Right of Occupancy, while the defendants were unable to produce any evidence to support their case despite the fact that they are the sole authority on charting and mapping the FCT. Offia further argued that the burden of proof was on the FCDA and the Minister; and therefore, their inability to provide any evidence to disprove the plaintiffs’ claims must be construed as an act of suppression of evidence. After decades, the rapid expansion of the City Centre has led to the development of infrastructure in satellite districts such as Lugbe and Kuruduma, making them attractive areas. This has allegedly prompted the FCDA to renege on its previous valid, legal, constitutional and authorised allocations and thus deny the existence of its own districts and reallocate ‘these choice areas’ to ‘Developers’ as new developments, which has been the subject of various litigations.]]>