P. O. ADEREMI, JSC (Delivering Leading Judgment): This is an appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal (Port Harcourt Division) in Appeal NO CA/PH/331/99. The Administrators/Executors of the Estate of General Sani Abacha (Deceased) v. Samuel David Eke-Spiff and Ors. The majority judgment of which was delivered by Hon. Justice S.A. Nsofor while the dissenting judgment was delivered by Hon. Justice Ikongbe. Both judgments were delivered on the 15th of April 2002. The majority and dissenting judgments arose from the appeal lodged against the decision of the High Court of Justice, sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State of Nigeria.
Briefly put, the case of the 1st plaintiff is that he, a retired Permanent Secretary in the Rivers State Government was allocated a plot of land at Diobu GRA, Port Harcourt by the Government of Rivers State. The Building Lease was registered in his name as No 78 at page 78 in Volume 25 of the Lands Registry in the Office at Port Harcourt. He submitted a…