The legal battle between the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and claimants accusing the agency of contempt in relation to the removal of illegal structures in Festac Town Phase II took a new turn as Justice Akintunde Savage of the Ikeja Judicial Division adjourned the case to February 20, 2024.
During the court session on Wednesday, January 17, all concerned parties were present when the trial judge noted that Mr. Adetayo Bello, the lawyer representing the claimants, had not filed any application for contempt proceedings.
Instead, Bello submitted Form 48 (Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Order of Court).
Counsel to the FHA, Mr. Chris Ekemezie maintained the position that the Authority had not breached any court order as it had not been served with any restraining order. Ekemezie emphasized that there was no application before the court for the FHA to address, further pointing out that there had been no filing for a change of counsel by the claimants’ legal representation.
The request made by Mr. Bello, for an extension of the court order preventing the FHA from demolishing the claimants’ buildings, was declined by Justice Savage, who questioned the validity of the request.
The court subsequently adjourned the case to February 20, 2024, for the hearing of all pending applications, including the motion filed by the FHA’s legal team seeking dismissal of the case.
It is worth noting that in 2018, the Federal Housing Authority sought collaboration with the Lagos State Government to secure the Festac Phase II area.
The purpose was to allow the Authority’s Development Control Unit ìto serve stop-work notices to illegal developers.
The FHA, as a professional housing delivery agency, clarified that it cannot assume responsibility for the integrity of structures it did not approve or supervise, particularly when built on swampy land with a high risk of collapse due to soil characteristics, necessitating both professional approvals and supervision.
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