Legal Victory: Court Dismisses N1 Billion Lawsuit Against Former Minister Malami

Legal Victory: Court Dismisses N1 Billion Lawsuit Against Former Minister Malami....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The FCT High Court in Kubwa, under the tenure of Abubakar Malami, the former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, has dismissed a N1 billion lawsuit against him. The legal action was initiated by Cecil Osakwe, an Abuja-based property developer, who had filed a lawsuit against Malami, civil servant Asabe Waziri, the former minister’s office, and the Federal Ministry of Justice.

However, the case faced dismissal due to Osakwe’s failure to diligently prosecute it, as observed by Justice Oluyemisi Adelaja during the proceedings. Adelaja noted that the claimant, Osakwe, who initiated the legal action, was required to actively pursue the case in court. However, Osakwe and his legal representation were absent without valid reasons, leading to the dismissal of the case under Order 32 Rule 4 for want of diligent prosecution.

In a related legal matter, in June 2022, the Federal Government had filed charges against Osakwe for advance fee fraud amounting to N130 million and criminal intimidation of Asabe Waziri, a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation staff who had acquired a property from Osakwe in Maitama, FCT.

In response to these charges, Osakwe countersued the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice, and Waziri. Seeking compensation, Osakwe’s counsel, Mr. Victor Giwa, pursued punitive damages of N1 billion and general damages of N100 million in the lawsuit. However, the lack of diligent prosecution led to the dismissal of Osakwe’s claims in the FCT High Court.

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