Businessman decries delay in hearing case against Eko Hotel

A businessman is seeking the reassignment of a suit between him and Eko Hotel and Suites from Justice Saliu Saidu.

Solomon Nwadiogbu, who was once a permanent resident in the hotel, said he lacked confidence in the judge handling the case, which comes up for hearing on February 19.

Nwadiogbu said on Saturday that the judge has “refused to hear the case” eight months after it was assigned to him.

Nwadiogbu had filed a suit against the mamangement Eko Hotel and Suites over the alleged seizure of his personal belongings valued at about N400m.

He said the hotel claimed he was owing “for food reportedly eaten from 2013 -2019.”

He alleged that the judge had yet to hear it after almost a year of being assigned the case.

According to Nwadiogbu, who is the claimant in suit No. FHC/L/CS/630/2019 between him and Eko Hotels and Suites, reassigning the case will fasten its hearing.

He said, “But it is surprising that nearly one year of filing the suit at the Federal High Court and the reassignment of the case, it has not been heard.”

Upon the delays, the businessman said he wrote a letter to the Federal High Court, Lagos, asking that his case be transferred to another judge.

“My cause for concern is as to why the case has been delayed as all the papers of both parties in this said case have been before the judge since June 2019 ,” he added.

His media adviser, Mr Fidelis Chukwuma, in a statement on Sunday, explained that the businessman was a long permanent guest at the Eko Hotel and Suites for six years – between 2013 and 2019.

“The businessmen decided to quit his stay in the hotel because he felt that he cannot continue to put up with what was going on there.

“But to his chagrin, he was accused of not paying his bills on foods in the hotel for six years. He told them that he needs proof of their claims.

“But to his surprise, when he decided to move his cars out from the hotel premises, the hotel management prevented him, thereby stalling the removal of four cars belonging to his company and other properties worth over N400million on the account that he owed the hotel N18million.

“Irked by the development, the businessman, who has high regards for the rule of law, approached a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos and filed his case with all documented pieces of evidence.

“But amusingly, since April 2019 till date, the case with Suit No. FHC/L/CS/630/2019 has not been put up for hearing and has continued to suffer several baseless adjournments by the assigned Judge for the case. For instance, when the case was called in June 2019, it was surprisingly adjourned to November 2019.”