Enugu State High Court has adjourned the ongoing legal battle between a Lagos-based pastor and businessman, Dr. Basil Ogbuanu, and a former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, alongside his wife, Patricia, till October 2026.
The parallel suits, which are pending before two separate courts, were put on hold to enable the parties to respond to newly filed preliminary objections challenging the competence of the lawsuits.
At the resume of proceedings in the primary suit (No. E/328/2026) before Justice C.C. Ani, Monday, the defence counsel representing the Nwobodos, Chuma Oguejiofor, moved an application to withdraw all processes previously filed by the defendants’ former counsel.
Oguejiofor sought to replace them with fresh filings, including a statement of defence and a notice of preliminary objection, while seeking a regularisation of the defendants’ memorandum of appearance.
Counsel for the plaintiff, Onyechi Araka and Olisa Igweike, informed the court that they had just been served with the new defence processes. They subsequently requested an adjournment to study the documents and file their response.
After hearing the parties submissions, Justice Ani adjourned the matter till October 22, 2026, for the hearing of all pending applications.
Similarly, a related suit before Justice E.N. Alukwu was adjourned till October 21, 2026, following a preliminary objection filed by the defence challenging the competence of the action.
Confirming the development, the plaintiff’s counsel, Igweike, who spoke to journalists said the adjournment would allow the legal team to react to the application to determine whether the suit had merit to proceed.
Speaking after the court session, the defence counsel, Oguejiofor, explained that the preliminary objections were premised on several procedural defects.
Oguejiofor said, “We filed an objection for many reasons, including the improper service of the processes. Originating processes must be served personally on the defendants, which was not complied with here. Furthermore, there is a specific legal protocol for serving limited liability companies that was ignored.”
He also argued that the plaintiff failed to serve mandatory pre-action notices to some public officers sued in the matter and failed to join the Nigeria Police Force as a party to the suit, despite making allegations that the police deployed bulldozers to demolish structures on the land.
“Under Section 36 of the Constitution, there is a right to a fair hearing. If you accuse the police, they must be heard. We cannot go to the merits of this matter until these preliminary defects are resolved,” Oguejiofor added, noting that the defence remained open to Alternative Dispute Resolution if the plaintiff chose to explore it.
The multi-billion naira dispute arose from an Independence Layout land transaction in Enugu.
Ogbuanu claimed he paid N235m to Linkana Hotels Limited and Millennium Construction & Estate Developers Ltd for the acquisition of plots R/18, R/19, R/20, and R/21.
According to the court filings, the businessman asserted that the transaction was backed by Powers of Attorney dated January 14, 2023, and August 5, 2025, which created a binding contract of sale.
He alleged that despite securing building approvals, his fully built duplexes on the property were demolished on February 17 and March 9, 2026, by actors escorted by illegally procured police officers.
The plaintiff is seeking N611m in special damages for the destroyed structures, N209m for lost building materials, and N5bn in general damages for psychological trauma.
However, Senator Jim Nwobodo and his wife, Patricia, filed a counter-suit (No. E/244/2025) through their counsel, Agbo.
The couple is asking the court to declare that there was no valid or enforceable sale or transfer of any portion of their estate to Ogbuanu. They are asking the court to compel the businessman to collect his N235m refund and vacate the land, while demanding N1bn in general and
aggravated damages, alongside N20m for medical expenses.
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