Shares Ownership: Court strikes out suit against 9mobile

By Henry Ojelu

ABUJA — The Federal High Court sitting successful Abuja has struck retired a suit filed by businessman Abubakar Funtua, who challenged the alleged transportation of his 43 cardinal shares to Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited (EMTS), operators of 9mobile, without his consent.

In a ruling delivered connected September 24, 2025, and obtained by Vanguard yesterday, Justice Mohammed Umar held that Funtua lacked the locus standi to institute the action, having failed to found immoderate enforceable involvement successful the disputed shares.

The defendants successful the lawsuit included Seltrix Limited, Hayatu Hassan Hadejia, Teleology Nigeria Limited, Mohammed Edewor, EMTS, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), LH Telecommunication Limited, and General Theophilus Danjuma.

Through his counsel, Femi Atteh, SAN, Funtua had instituted the suit connected December 27, 2024, seeking 11 reliefs, including a declaration that helium was the beneficial proprietor of the 43 cardinal shares allegedly held successful spot for him by Seltrix Limited successful Teleology Nigeria Limited.

However, the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, and 9th defendants, represented by Michael Aondakaa, SAN, C.I. Okpoko, SAN, R.O. Atabo, SAN, A.T. Kohol, and C.C. Ogbonna, filed a associated preliminary objection dated February 5, 2025, urging the tribunal to disregard the lawsuit for deficiency of jurisdiction and maltreatment of tribunal process.

After considering arguments from some sides, Justice Umar upheld the objection, ruling that the plaintiff failed to show immoderate ineligible oregon beneficial ownership of the 43 cardinal shares.

“I cautiously perused the said grounds to spot if the allegation of the Plaintiff is substantiated. I did not find any. Nowhere was determination immoderate fig of 43 cardinal mean shares held successful spot for the Plaintiff by the 1st Defendant mentioned,” the justice stated.

The tribunal besides noted that the 2nd suspect denied having immoderate concern dealings with the plaintiff, and this was not controverted. Justice Umar further held that the documents presented by Funtua did not found a spot narration susceptible of conferring ineligible standing.

“The said exhibits cannot by immoderate imaginativeness represent a spot to confer locus standi connected the Plaintiff,” the justice ruled, adding that Funtua besides failed to decently nexus his claims to the documents tendered.

Umar concluded that since the plaintiff lacked the locus standi to bring the action, determination was nary request to code different objections raised by the defendants, including claims that the suit was statute-barred, incompetent, and frivolous.

“I resoluteness the contented of locus standi against the Plaintiff. The instrumentality is that wherever a Plaintiff has been adjudged to deficiency locus standi, it does not substance what different issues person been raised for determination successful the suit,” Justice Umar held.

He subsequently ordered that the lawsuit beryllium struck retired for privation of locus standi.

The station Shares Ownership: Court strikes retired suit against 9mobile appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.