Control of federal land: Lagos defeats FG in Supreme Court
The
Supreme Court on Friday struck out a suit filed by the Federal
Government seeking an order wresting the control and management of its
land in Lagos State from the state government.
A
five-man panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Olabode
Rhodes-Vivour, unanimously struck out the Federal Government’s suit
after upholding the preliminary objection filed by the Lagos Government
to challenge the competence of the suit.
Justice
Dattijo Muhammad, who read the apex court’s lead ruling, agreed with
the Lagos State Government that the court lacked the power to exercise
its “original jurisdiction” in the suit because the Federal Government
had “transferred its title in the land to others”.’
The
dispute between the federal and Lagos State governments was about
“general control and management of federal land within Lagos State
particularly the re-issuance of certificates of occupancy, granting
consent or exercising rights of ownership.”
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