At least 200 workers of Ugo Lab Productions, Nigeria Limited, located at Plot 157/159, Club Road, Bompai, Kano, have been rendered stranded, following a State High Court order on the staff and owner of the company, Pharmacist Ugonna Eugene Ogbuji, to vacate the premises.
The “Keep off, order by Kano High Court” has been inscribed in red at the face, back and sides of the property, while heavily armed police personnel have been deployed to the premises.
Vehicles of the company were being evacuated from the premises when The Nation visited the facility.
General Manager, Operations and Administration of Ugo Lab, Pharmacist Chris Metu, told reporters in Kano that the case has been in court for a while.
He said the owner of the company had bought the place from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) but the Yaro family members sued the company, claiming the property belonged to them.
“This prompted UBA to join in the suit as a defendant for Ugo Lab,” Metu said.
The Nation learnt that when the Yaro family approached the High Court to acquire the property on August 19, the Kano High Court ruled in favour of the plaintiff, granting them leave to go and acquire the property.
But Ugo Lab, through its lawyer, Barr. Kenneth Ogujiofor, appealed the ruling at a Court of Appeal, asking for stay of execution, which was granted.
The Kano High Court registrar was then served the stay of execution, and the appellate court fixed November 30 for judgment on the appeal filed by Ugo Lab.
“But instead of obeying the Court of Appeal’s stay of execution, the plaintiffs moved in here and started carting away properties belonging to Ugo Lab and sending out staff of the company.
“What we are seeking is for them to obey the order of the Court of Appeal, which is a superior court than the one that passed the earlier judgement,” Metu said.
“A lot of damages were carried out here yesterday. They broke into our warehouses and carried away our finished products, generating sets, computers and vehicles. Today they are here to remove the air conditioners without notice. We are still quantifying the damages,” the company’s General Manager said.