The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja Division, has declined to hear a suit involving the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), ruling that the matter is already the subject of ongoing proceedings before superior courts.
Delivering judgment in Suit No. CV/3803/2025 on Wednesday, Hon. Justice J. E. Obanor held that it would be improper for the court to proceed with a case whose foundation is currently pending before the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
The suit was filed by the NYCN Incorporated Trustees alongside Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, who sued for himself and on behalf of the extant leadership of the council, against multiple defendants including security agencies, trustees, and rival leadership factions.
Among the defendants are Comrade Ademola Gbenga, Comrade Okechukwu Nnamene, Comrade Abel Abaji, Comrade Alex Allen Akin, Comrade Hassan Mamman, the Inspector-General of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), another Incorporated Trustees of the NYCN (registered in 2017), Prof. Dickson Akoh, Comrade Oscar David Kalu, Comrade Sola Oladeji, and Alhaji Billy Tafawa Balewa.
Court cites pending cases at Federal High Court and Court of Appeal
In his ruling, Justice Obanor emphasized that the central issues in the case are already being determined in pending suits before the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, both of which involve disputes over trusteeship, leadership legitimacy, and the legal status of the NYCN.
He warned that any pronouncement by the FCT High Court at this stage could lead to conflicting judgments and undermine judicial consistency.
“I cannot make a definite pronouncement as to whether the first claimant has or has not ceased to be a juristic person,” the judge stated, noting that the issue is already before the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC-ABJ-CS-214-265 and the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/DB/1308/2023.
Judicial restraint and avoidance of conflicting judgments
The court held that the matters before it are “intricately intertwined” with issues already pending before superior courts and stressed the need for judicial restraint to avoid parallel decisions on the same subject matter.
Justice Obanor further stated that proceeding with the suit could “pre-empt or undermine” decisions already being awaited from higher courts.
“In the interest of justice, this Court declines jurisdiction at this stage,” he ruled, adding that the preliminary objection filed by the 8th to 12th defendants succeeded.
Suit struck out
The court accordingly struck out the case, effectively halting proceedings at the FCT High Court level pending the outcome of related cases at the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal.