***To pay N32m to landowners
These are not the best of times billionaire businessman, Mike Adebuga, as a Bayelsa High Court sitting in Sagbama on Tuesday has ordered his telecommunications company, Globacom Nigeria Ltd, to vacate a piece of land belonging to the Agbereowei family of Bolou-Orua in Sagbama local government.
The family had leased a portion of their land to the telecommunications firm to host its cell site.
The court ordered the defendant to pay N32.5 million representing N24 million unpaid rents at N3 million per annum from 2008 to 2016 and N8.5 million as damages for distress and hardship caused the claimants.
The family in a suit, SHC/02/2015, filed by Miss Justina Agbereowei and Mr Wednesday Agbereowei, had sued the telecom company for failure to pay rents on the land housing its base station since 2008.
The claimants prayed the court, presided over by Justice E.G. Umukoro, to declare that they were the persons entitled to the right of occupancy in the land measuring approximately 40 feet by 40.5 feet.
The judge ordered that the declaration of entitlement sought and the right of occupancy over the land in issue was merited and granted.
Umukoro said the continued occupation of the claimants’ land by the defendant had become unjustifiable and that the prayers of the claimants for possession and removal of all structures on the land was granted.
The judge also awarded N500,000 against the defendant in favour of the claimants.
