Despite court order restraining them from continuous work on the site of the circular road, staff of Craneburg Construction Company Limited are still working on site.
A journey to the site of the multi-billion naira project at Egbeda last week by this newspaper confirmed the development.
Though keen watchers of the development have described the action as gross disobedience of court order, Fadi Khalil, who is said to be the project manager of the company, could not be reached on his MTN line as at press time.
It would be recalled that Justice J. Enobie Obanor of the Federal High Court, Abuja judicial division, had, few weeks ago, issued a restraining order against Craneburg Construction Company Limited, the Oyo State Government and three others; Fadi Khalil, Mohammed Abdul and the Attorney General of Oyo State, restricting them from interfering with the activities of ENL Consortium Limited on the East End Wing of the proposed Ibadan Circular Road.
While giving the ruling on a motion delineated FCT/HC/M/8903/2022, Justice Obanor held that, “having carefully gone through the reliefs being sought in Motion No. M/8903/2022 and also having gone through their affidavit evidence and 7 exhibits in support annexed thereto as well as the written submission of counsel. The court is satisfied that the application is meritorious and it is hereby granted and order made as prayed pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.”
The orders given by the court include an order of Interim Injunction restraining the defendants acting either by themselves or through their servants, agents, privies officials, staff, representatives or any other persons connected to them, from further interference, disturbance, trespassing or any other action or conduct in like manner in the business of ENL Consortium.
The injunction retrains the five defendants from interfering with the activities of ENL Consortium in respect of a subsisting self-financing Concessionaire of the 32-kilometre East End Wing of the 107-kilometre proposed Ibada2 Ring Road (the Ibadan Circular road) under the terms of the Concession Agreement dated 25th August 2017 with Oyo State Government pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice in the suit pending before the court.
The court also granted leave to ENL Consortium to serve the originating processes in the suit being the Writ of Summons, Statement of Claim and other accompanying processes on Fadi Khalil and Mohammed Abdul at the registered address of Craneburg Construction Company Limited, situated at 1, Block 2 River Patoka Close Off Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja through any adult staff at the reception of the company.
The court further gave an order granting leave to the ENL Consortium to serve the originating processes in the suit the originating processes in this suit being Writ of Summons, Statement of Claim and other accompanying processes on the Government of Oyo State and the Attorney General of Oyo State at their liaison office situate at plot 77, Oyo House, 78, Ralph Shodeinde Street, Central Business District Abuja.
Justice Obanor stated that he granted the motion exparte filed in July 2022, in the registry of the court and upon reading the affidavit of Engr Kola Aledare filed in support of the application and after considering the submission of the counsel of ENL Consortium, B. J Akomolafe, and finding the application meritorious.
