A Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority (FCDA) from demolishing Trademore Estate sited in the Lugbe area of Abuja.

This was revealed at an interim injunction, by Justice Mohammed Zubairu, who ordered that the first to fourth defendants/respondents maintain status quo and stop plans to demolish the estate.

In the Motion No: M/11692/2023 dated July 12, 2023, the first to fourth defendants/respondents are the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the FCDA, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), and the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

The judge granted an order “restraining the Defendants, whether by themselves, agents, employees, officials, privies, and all those purporting to be acting for them, or to have derived title from them, or other persons howsoever and whomsoever called from trespassing on or further trespassing on, demolishing, or further demolition of all that Trademore Estate Lugbe, Abuja, Known as Plot 1981, Sabon Lugbe, Abuja, and other appurtenances thereof at Lugbe, Abuja, with the buildings and appurtenances thereon, or from evicting the occupants of the said property from it, or in any way interfering with the Plaintiff’s exclusive right of ownership and possession of the said property pending the determination of the Motion on Notice”.

Justice Zubairu further ordered that the parties maintain status quo, while the Motion on Notice and Writ of Summons be served on the Defendants forthwith.

The case was adjourned to September 22, 2023 for hearing of the Motion on Notice.

The residents of the estate had approached the court through their lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) after a petition to the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Olusade Adesola, protesting the planned demolition of more than 60 houses in the residential estate.

The residents had debunked insinuation that the estate has no development plan approval. They said the estate was developed in 2007 and no case of flooding was recorded until recently.

The residents had last week shut their gates in protest against the planned demolition of structures in the estate by officials of FCDA.

The development came days after the estate was declared a disaster zone, in light of flash floods which submerged houses and vehicles in the estate about a week ago, a recurring situation at the peak of the rainy season annually.

The Permanent Secretary of the FCTA had declared the Trademore area a disaster zone that “needs immediate action to remedy further damages and loss of lives and properties”.