The Gombe State Government has allocated shops, sheds and container spaces at the Mechanics Village to automobile technicians, despite a High Court judgement ordering the evacuation of structures from a disputed portion of the property. The court judgement, delivered by Justice Daurabo S. Sikkam of High Court No. 9, Gombe, in Suit No. GM/116/2026, declared Emir General Integrated Limited the lawful owner of a 1.30-hectare parcel of land along the Gombe-Bajoga Road.
The court upheld the company’s Certificate of Occupancy No. GM/15926 and ruled that the state government’s award of a construction contract to Grandscope Construction Limited on the disputed property, as well as the demolition of the claimant’s structures and subsequent construction activities, were illegal and unlawful. The court granted a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents and representatives from further interfering with the claimant’s possession of the property.
The court ordered the defendants to vacate the land and remove structures and other items placed on it, and awarded N15 million in special damages, N50 million in general damages and N7,200 in costs, with 10 per cent annual interest until the judgment debt is fully paid. Daily Trust learnt that the state Ministry of Trade and Industry recently distributed allocation documents to associations of mechanics and other automobile technicians operating at the Mechanics Village.
The Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Nasiru Muhammad Aliyu, led the exercise, which saw the National Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) receive 500 container spaces, 60 sheds and eight shops. The Gombe Association of Technicians and Allied Trades (GATAL) was allocated 220 container spaces, 27 sheds and three shops, while the panel beaters’ association received 37 container spaces, five sheds and one shop.
NATA North-East Zonal Chairman, Ahmad Waziri Usman, commended Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for the initiative and pledged the association’s support for the government. However, the allocations have raised questions over whether the facilities fall within the parcel covered by the court judgement and, if so, the legal basis upon which they were allocated.
Counsel to Emir General Integrated Limited, Barrister Sulaiman Abdurraheem, urged the state government to comply with the judgement, including payment of the N65 million damages awarded by the court and removal of structures covered by the order. He said where the government intends to acquire land covered by a valid Certificate of Occupancy for public purposes, it must follow the appropriate legal procedures.
The state government and the Ministries of Works and Trade and Industry had not provided substantive responses to questions on the legal basis for the post-judgment allocations as of press time. Counsel to the state government, Barrister Musa Adamu Kumo, declined to comment on the substance of the dispute but confirmed that an out-of-court settlement remained possible.
Key points
- The Gombe State Government allocated shops, sheds and container spaces at Mechanics Village despite a court order to evacuate the disputed property.
- The court awarded Emir General Integrated Limited N65 million in damages and ordered the state government to vacate the land and remove structures.
- The allocations have raised questions over the legal basis upon which they were made and whether the facilities fall within the parcel covered by the court judgement.
