Charles Gabriel, a practicing lawyer, has dragged the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) before an Abuja High Court over an alleged attempt to illegally alter and redesign parts of Lugbe Estate in the Federal Capital Territory.
In the suit, Gabriel is seeking a judicial declaration that the FHA’s actions are unlawful, and he is demanding ₦500 million in general damages, along with an additional ₦5 million to cover the cost of litigation.
The Attorney General of the Federation is listed as the first defendant, alongside the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, the Ministry itself, and the FHA.
Gabriel, through his counsel, U.I. Obeuwou, alleges that the proposed redesign would block direct access to his two shops located at 1 and 3 1H Road in Lugbe Estate, which he says he lawfully purchased in March 2004.
He contends that the move would severely devalue his property and violate his legal rights attached to the ownership.
According to the court filings, Gabriel claims that since 2019, unknown FHA personnel have made repeated efforts to measure and reconfigure a 385-square-meter area in front of his shops, a space that, he argues, was never designated for new buildings or plots under the estate’s original layout.
He insists these activities are part of a deliberate plot to illegally reallocate the land to FHA officials and their associates.
Gabriel recounts writing several letters of complaint to relevant authorities over the years.
While the FHA allegedly denied involvement each time and temporarily suspended activity, he says the encroachment efforts always resumed.
His most recent letter, dated July 10, 2025, also failed to halt what he describes as an illegal plan to allocate and develop the space, prompting him to seek redress in court.
The legal action comes amid claims that allocation papers are now being prepared for the newly created plots,
Describing the situation as a source of “excruciating pain,” Gabriel is asking the court to declare the FHA’s alleged actions “illegal, wrongful, ultra vires, null and void,” and of no effect on his lawful interests in the property.
