Delta Court Halts Development in ₦500 Million Land Dispute

Court Orders Parties to Maintain Status Quo in ₦500 Million Land Case The Delta State High Court sitting in Asaba and presided over by Hon. Justice C. D. Diai has issued an order restraining Mrs. Calista Ogechukwu Eziokwu, Patrick Eziokwu, Charles Ofoezie, Austine Ekeh, and Onyebuchi Nwagwu from carrying out any further development on a disputed property at the center of a ₦500 million land suit. The suit was filed by Solomon Atube, a Delta State based legal practitioner, through his counsel, Dr. A. A. Orunkoya. Dr. Orunkoya, representing the claimant, urged the court to restrain the defendants from continuing development on the land identified as Plot 71, Block VIII, Phase V, Core Area, Asaba, and registered as DTSR/18388 at the Asaba Land Registry. He argued that any further activity on the property could destroy the res (subject matter) of the ongoing litigation. After hearing the application, Justice Diai granted the order, directing all parties to maintain the status quo and refrain from any action concerning the disputed property pending the determination of the substantive suit. Delta State has, in recent times, witnessed a surge in land-related disputes, with allegations of land grabbing and the forgery of Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-Os) involving some officials in the Ministry of Lands and Survey. Critics have accused the state government of failing to implement a reliable digital verification system to curb the issuance of fake land documents. In the present case, it was alleged that the defendants attempted to register a mortgage over the land using particulars of a deceased person in an effort to fraudulently claim ownership. Officials of the Delta State Ministry of Lands reportedly uncovered the irregularity and raised an alarm, prompting the claimant to take legal action.