By Abubakar Rabilu, Gombe
The Gombe State High Court No. 9 has declared Emir General Integrated Ltd the lawful owner of a disputed 1.30-hectare parcel of land along the Gombe–Bajoga Road and awarded the company ₦65 million in damages for unlawful trespass and demolition of its property.
Delivering judgment in Suit No. GM/116/2026, Justice Daurabo Suleiman Sikkam upheld the validity of the company’s Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) No. GM/15926, ruling that it remains legally binding and enforceable.
The judge held that the actions of the defendants, which led to the occupation, demolition of structures on the land and subsequent development of the property, 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 situated 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 without first revoking the plaintiff’s title in accordance with the law or paying compensation amounted to trespass.
The court consequently issued a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, servants and privies from further interfering with the plaintiff’s ownership and possession of the land.
It also ordered the defendants to vacate the property and remove all structures and other items erected on the land.
The court further awarded Emir General Integrated Ltd ₦15 million as special damages and ₦50 million as general damages, bringing the total compensation to ₦65 million.
In addition, Justice Sikkam awarded ₦7,200 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 verdict as a triumph for justice and the rule of law.
He said the Land Use Act mandates government to notify landowners and pay adequate compensation before acquiring land for public purposes, particularly where a valid Certificate of Occupancy exists.
“Our client has a valid Certificate of Occupancy, yet the government neither followed due process nor complied with two earlier court orders restraining further work on the land,” he said.
Abdurrahim urged Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya to comply with the judgment by paying the compensation awarded by the court and relinquishing possession of the land in line with the ruling.
Our reporter gathered that counsel representing Grandscope Construction Ltd, the Gombe State Government, the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, and the Attorney General were absent when the judgment was delivered.
