N7b debt: Supreme Court throws out Northern states’ suit against FG

The Supreme Court yesterday threw out the suit by 16 northern states, with which they sought to compel the Federal Government to pay them about N7.039billion as compensation for some assets of the northern region taken over by the Federal Government since 1977.

The court, in a unanimous judgment, held that the northern states delayed in filing the suit and that it was statute barred, having been filed outside the six years allowed under Section 7 (1) of the Limitation Law, CAP 122 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.
The 16 northern states created from former Northwestern, North-central, Kano, North-eastern and Central-western states had sued the Fed Govt, through the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), alleging that the Federal Military Government forcefully took over the assets owned by the defunct Northern States Marketing Board (NSMB), using Decree No. 29 of 1977.
The states as presently constituted consist of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
They said, following the takeover of the assets, then Supreme Military Council assured them that the Fed Govt would pay for the assets of the NSMB and assets of other commodity boards so acquired.

N7b debt: Supreme Court throws out Northern states’ suit against FG