The Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday ordered the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and five others to appear before it on July 24 to explain why the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos was handed over on July 12 to some developers while the structure is a subject of a pending lawsuit marked FHC/L/CS/2392/2019.
The court, in a ruling by Justice Ayokunle Faji, said Malami, Emiefele and others should appear to convince him why the handover should not be reversed.
The court made the order in favour of Topwideapeas Limited, whose lawyer, Chijioke Okoli (SAN), argued an ex pate application.
The SAN complained that despite that the matter was pending the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos was handed over to the CBN, Access Bank of Nigeria Plc and Herbert Wigwe.
Okoli contended that if not reversed, the handover of the structure would render the eventual decision of the court in the suit nugatory.
He prayed for an order “suspending/staying the purported handover on or about July 12, 2020 by the 1st and 3rd defendant/respondents to the 5th-7th defendant/respondents of the National Theatre Complex, Iganmu, Lagos and the adjoining lands thereto, pending the hearing and determination of the applicant’s motion for interlocutory injunction (by notice filed on December 31, 2019).”
