Former First Lady Hajia Mariam Sani Abacha and her eldest son, Mohammed, sued President Bola Tinubu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. The Abacha family on Wednesday, July 24 filed an appeal against the recovery and alleged unlawful sale of a property once owned by the late General Sani Abacha.
The disputed property is located in Abuja, which the Nigerian government is said to have revoked and sold to Salamed Ventures Limited at a time without the consent of the Abacha family. This prompted the family to seek redress in court.
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The family filed the legal suit over a July 19 judgment by Justice Peter Lifu, striking out their claim to the property in Maitama District, Abuja. It declared them to lack locus standi, challenging the revocation and ordered compensation of N500 million.
The appeal, filed on July 23 and argued by the family’s counsel, Reuben Atabo, a senior advocate of Nigeria, claimed the lower court erred on several grounds by dismissing the suit.
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The appeal has President Tinubu, Minister Wike, the FCDA, and Salamed Ventures Limited as respondents. It is asking for an order from the appellate court to void the sale and transfer of the property.
The Abacha family contended that the property was transferred at a time when their appeal against the FCDA was still pending before the earlier decisions of the Supreme Court.
The first appellant, Mohammed Abacha, identified himself as the eldest surviving son of late General Sani Abacha, and the second appellant, Mariam Abacha, was identified as the widow of the late general.
They still contend that they cannot be stopped from prosecuting the action, no matter the Letters of Administration on the estate.
In another angle, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has just discovered fraudulent actions involving COVID-19 funds, World Bank loans, and recovered assets from General Sani Abacha. According to the EFCC, the funds meant for alleviating poverty were misspent.
