Families affected by the East-West Road project in Akwa Ibom State have taken the Minister of Works, the construction company handling part of the project and other defendants to court, seeking N1 billion in damages over alleged uncompensated property losses and two reported deaths.
The claimants filed Suit No. HEK/20/2026 before the Eket High Court against the Minister of Works, Gitto Construczioni General Nigeria Limited, the Akwa Ibom State Government and estate valuers involved in the compensation process.
They allege that construction work along the Ataobong Bypass axis of Phase IV of the East-West Road altered the flow of rainwater into residential areas, contributing to flooding and building collapses.
That allegation has not been established by a court, and IDNN has not independently determined the cause of the reported collapses or deaths.
Families seek N1bn in general damages
The claimants are asking the court to award N1 billion in general damages for what they describe as trauma, loss of resources, loss of loved ones and loss of businesses associated with the acquisition of their properties without full compensation.
They are also seeking an order compelling the defendants to pay property owners whose lands and houses were reportedly valued and marked for compensation.
The families further want the court to restrain what they describe as selective compensation.
The N1 billion figure is therefore money being sought from the court. It is not compensation already awarded or paid.
Two deaths reported
The families say two people died after buildings collapsed during rainfall in the affected area.
One reported victim was said to have died when his house collapsed during a night rainfall. A child in a neighbouring family was also reported to have died in a separate collapse in the same vicinity.
Those deaths form part of the claimants’ account surrounding the project.
IDNN has not independently established that the East-West Road construction caused either death.
Valuer says compensation payments stopped
James Iniama, managing partner of the estate valuation firm involved in the compensation process, said compensation payments to affected property owners had begun but were later stopped.
He said he did not know why payment to some affected owners ceased.
That account indicates that a compensation process was underway and later interrupted, but it does not establish which authority ordered the stoppage, why it occurred or which households remain legally entitled to payment.
Accountability questions remain
The dispute raises wider questions over how compensation for the project was assessed, funded and administered.
Authorities should clarify how many properties were assessed and valued, how many owners were approved for compensation, how many were paid, how much was budgeted and released, and who authorised any suspension of payment.
They should also disclose what engineering or drainage assessments exist concerning flooding around the project corridor.
Those questions are separate from the court’s eventual determination of liability.
Defendants’ responses remain incomplete
The strongest reporting reviewed by IDNN contains a response from the estate valuer but does not establish a substantive response from the Minister of Works, Gitto Construczioni General Nigeria Limited or the Akwa Ibom State Government to the allegations in the suit.
Their positions remain necessary before any stronger conclusion is drawn about responsibility for the alleged losses, flooding or deaths.
The case has been adjourned until October 20, 2026, for hearing.
Until the court rules or further documentary evidence emerges, the established position is narrower: affected families have sued over alleged uncompensated losses and reported deaths, they are seeking N1 billion in damages, and the estate valuer says compensation payments began and later stopped.