A High Court sitting in Abuja has thrown out the case instituted by the League Management Board, Ibrahim Sa’ad on behalf of Gombe Bulls and Dr Adegbite Adeyemo on behalf of Kwara Falcons stopping the Nigeria Basketball Federation from organizing the Men’s Premier Basketball Leagues.
The case instituted in 2018 by the group praying the court to bestow on them the authourity to organise the league was quashed as the judge ruled that the case lacked merit.
Based on the arguments by both parties, the court in its landmark ruling said it was needless to go into substantive issues brought before it after the preliminary objections of the plaintiffs were granted.
Following its objection, the court ruled that the case was not properly filed, hence the reasons for striking out the case.
According to the court, the case lacked merit as people joined in the case were not entities who derive legal recognition on their own.
Breaking the case down, Barrister Emmanuel Okibe who represented the Federal Ministry of Sports explained that in his preliminary objection, he argued that Nigeria Basketball Federation divided into Kida or TJ Umar factions as the plaintiffs wanted the court to believe were not a juristic persons and unknown to law.
Although court agreed with the plaintiff’s counsel, Barrister Emmanuel Enejoh who represented the League Management Board and others that some bodies even though not registered by law are recognized as juristic persons but ruled that the appellants did not sue the NBBF as a body which could be regarded as a known entity but chose to sue Nigeria Basketball Federation, Kida Faction and Nigeria Basketball Federation, TJ Umar faction which were unknown to law.
