FCT High Court Dismisses ₦1.818bn Professional Fee Suit Against Abia Government

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on Thursday dismissed a ₦1,818,357,756.86 professional fee suit filed against the Abia State Government, ruling that the action amounted to an abuse of court process.

The suit, No. CV/1136/24, was filed by Olusola Oke, SAN. The court upheld a preliminary objection argued on behalf of the state by Ken Ahia, SAN, who had successfully argued a similar objection in an earlier suit involving the same parties and claims.

In its defence, the Abia State Government stated that it had already paid over ₦2 billion to a previous consultant on the same matter. The government also argued that Olusola Oke, SAN, had acted as counsel for Imo State—the claimant in the derivation dispute—while Abia State was represented by its Attorney-General, making the alleged fee claim unsustainable.

The court noted that refiling substantially identical claims amounted to forum shopping and held that dismissal, rather than striking out, was the appropriate order.

By the judgment, Abia State was spared exposure to a potential liability of over ₦1.8 billion.