In line with the agreement reached on January 24, 2020 by the counsel to Kwara state government and Asa Investment Ltd on the need to explore out of court settlement on the issue of the demolished Ile Arugbo (Charity home), representatives of the two parties Thursday held a reconciliation meeting.
The meeting which lasted one hour and 10 minutes started at 3.50 P.M and ended at 5 .00 P.M and was held behind closed doors at the Governor’s office, Ilorin.
Counsel to Asa Investment Ltd AbdulAzeez Ibrahim was the first to come out of the meeting’s venue at exactly 5.07 pm.
Responding to reporter’s inquiry, Ibrahim simply said: “We are still at negotiating stage. We are yet to conclude.The meeting has ended for now. We are meeting again on Tuesday by 4.00 P.M .That is all we can say for now” .
Also speaking, the state Attorney General and commissioner for Justice, Barr. Salman Jawondo, said: “We have started discussion, we had very frank talk. We are still discussing. We are meeting again on Tuesday at 4.00 P.M”
The state High Court, sitting in Ilorin, had on January 15,2020 advised parties in the suit to in the interest of peace, explore an out of court settlement over the disputed land on which Saraki’s Ile Arugbo was built
At the resumed hearing of the case on January 24,2020, Counsel to Asa Investments Limited, AbdulAzeez Ibrahim, informed the court
that his clients had received a letter from the Kwara state Ministry of
Justice inviting them to a meeting slated for January 27th, 2020.
Counsel to the state government, who is also the Director Civil Litigation, Ministry of Justice, A.M Bello, also confirmed the receipt of a letter from the claimant’s counsel seeking for amicable resolution of
the case out of court.
“In tandem with the tenet of the said letter, we have invited the
claimant for a meeting on Monday next week for out-of-court settlement
of the case.” Bello added.
In his ruling then, Justice Abiodun Adebara urged the parties to resolve the case amicably before the next adjourned date.
“This court is particularly impressed by the parties for the steps taken to settle out of court; they are therefore enjoined to engage in meaningful discussions that will lead to the resolution of the case out of court. I wish the parties well in their deliberation.
“With the concurrence of the learned counsel, this case is adjourned to March 2nd for the report of out-of-court settlement.”
