The Federal High Court Owerri has stopped Maranatha University Mgbidi from the planned take off in September 2021 and ordered the parties to maintain status quo as at 23rd July 2021.
This followed the motion for injunction filed by the Dike Ada Royal family land owners and plaintiffs asking the court to restrain Maranatha University from taking off, admitting students or commencing academic activities on the land as planned.
The court asked the parties to maintain status quo pending determination of the suit.
CAPITAL POST reports that the Plaintiffs in the suit asked the court to set aside approval the Federal Government granted the Maranatha University on 3rd February, 2021, the Dike Ada family of Umuchi Mgbidi, Oru West Local Government of Imo State joined the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Attorney General of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Education, Maranatha University and 4 others as defendants and respondents.
The exparte motion which was filed on 16th July, 2021, a certify true copy of which was made available to CAPITAL POST in Abuja was seeking an order of mandatory restorative injunction setting aside the approval granted by the FEC of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the defendant.
The motion was also seeking the setting aside of the approval of Maranatha University pending the determination of an earlier lawsuit by the defendant filed on 14th January 2021 which was still pending before the honourable Court.
Among others, the motion was seeking to restrain the Maranatha University from giving effect to approval, while it urged the NUC not to grant operational Lincence to the institution.”
According to the plaintiffs, the University misrepresented the facts and deceived the Federal Executive Council into approval with regard to plots of land which belongs to Dike Ada family.
The plaintiffs said it’s armed with a Supreme Court judgement of the Southern Nigeria in 1912 and the Appeal Court sitting in Calabar in 1916 in a Suit No. FHC/OW/CS/94/2020, “as shown in the ancient survey plan annexed hereto pending the determination of motion on notice filed herewith and motion on notice filed by the defendant on 14th January, 2021.”
