By Abubakar Rabilu, Gombe
The Gombe State High Court No. 9 has affirmed Emir General Integrated Ltd as the lawful owner of a disputed 1.30-hectare parcel of land along the Gombe–Bajoga Road and awarded the company N65 million in damages over what it described as the unlawful trespass and demolition of its property.
Delivering judgment in Suit No. GM/116/2026, Justice Daurabo Suleiman Sikkam held that the plaintiff’s Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) No. GM/15926 remains valid and enforceable, declaring that the defendants’ occupation and development of the land were unlawful.
The defendants in the suit are Grandscope Construction Ltd, the Gombe State Government, the Attorney General of Gombe State, and the Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport.
The disputed land is located along the Gombe–Bajoga Road, adjacent to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) office in Gombe Local Government Area.
Justice Sikkam ruled that the state government’s decision to award contracts on the land, which led to the demolition of the plaintiff’s structures and the subsequent development of the property without due process, amounted to unlawful trespass.
The court consequently issued a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, and privies from further interfering with the plaintiff’s possession of the land.
The court also ordered the defendants to remove all structures and other items erected on the property.
In addition, the court awarded Emir General Integrated Ltd N15 million as special damages and N50 million as general damages, bringing the total compensation to N65 million.
The court further awarded N7,200 as the cost of the action and ordered that the judgment sum should attract 10 per cent annual interest until it is fully paid.
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the plaintiff, Barrister Sulaiman Abdurrahim, described the ruling as a victory for justice and the rule of law.
He said the Land Use Act requires the government to notify landowners and pay compensation before acquiring land for public purposes, particularly where a valid Certificate of Occupancy exists.
“Our client has a valid Certificate of Occupancy, but the government neither followed due process nor complied with two earlier court orders restraining further work on the land,” he said.
He urged Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya to comply with the judgment by paying the damages awarded by the court and vacating the property in accordance with the ruling.
Our correspondent gathered that counsel representing Grandscope Construction Ltd, the Gombe State Government, the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, and the Attorney General’s Office were absent when the judgment was delivered.