KEY POINTS
- Court halts sale of late judge’s property amid a family dispute.
- Daughter sues church, alleging violation of will’s terms.
- Judge warns against tampering with property or court orders.
An interim injunction has been issued by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Bwari, Abuja, prohibiting the sale of properties owned by the late Justice Moses Bello, the former President of the Abuja Customary Court of Appeal, by Christ the King Catholic Church in Okene, Kogi State, and its parish priest, Reverend Father Ezekiel Awolumate.
Daughter challenges alteration of will
Ann Eniyamire, the late Justice Bello’s daughter, filed the lawsuit, claiming that the priest and the church had changed her father’s will.
According to Eniyamire, the will said that her father’s wife and eight children would each receive an equal amount of his assets, with each receiving 11.11 percent.
But based on her statement, Reverend Awolumate changed the distribution to 4.16 percent, which she says goes against what her father had instructed.
Eniyamire is requesting that the court step in and nullify the defendants’ ruling and remove them from their position as the will’s executors.
She also wants her right to 11.11 percent of her father’s wealth, which includes stocks, shares, and real estate holdings, to be acknowledged.
Court issues orders to prevent asset sales
In his response to the allegations made by Eniyamire, Justice Mohammed Madugu of the Abuja Division of the FHC) made and interlocutory order restraining the defendants or any of them from selling or leasing any property belonging to Justice Bello among which was the plot at 763 Panama Street, Maitama, Abuja.
Any other properties that are in the current litigation case are also catered for by the ruling of the court.
The court also directed security agencies like Nigeria Police force and the EFCC to arrest any person who attempts to lease mortgage or resell the property that is in subject to the case while still in trial.
The judge also allowed Eniyamire to erect signs claiming NOT FOR SALE, Lis Pendens[,] and paint the disputed property red to deter everyone who was seen as being in violation of family members’ ownership of the property.
Status quo ordered pending suit resolution
As stated by Justice Madugu, until the substantive litigation is settled, all parties to the case must keep the property in its current condition.
According to Punch, the judge warned the defendants that any infractions would result in contempt proceedings and cautioned them not to alter the markings or take down the court orders that were displayed on the property’s walls or entrance.
The court underlined how crucial compliance is, warning that the defendants would face severe legal repercussions for any activities that disobey its directives.
