The long-running confrontation between Chronicles Reporters News Limited and the administration of former Gwagwalada Area Council Chairman, Abubakar Jibrin Giri (Abu Giri), entered another significant phase on Monday as a High Court adjourned the newspaper’s judicial review suit to October 28, 2026, even as the current administration unveiled findings from its contractor verification exercise that have intensified scrutiny of the previous government.
The case, Suit No. M/166/2026, came up for the hearing of the Applicant’s Motion on Notice seeking an Order of Mandamus against the Executive Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council and Area Council Chairman as respondent.
According to an official update issued by GRAYLAW PRACTICE LP, the matter could not proceed because the court’s cause list could not be exhausted. The presiding judge consequently directed counsel for both parties to take another date off record. Counsel to the Applicant, Peter Chidiebere Nworie, Esq., and counsel to the Defendants, I.A. Aliyu, Esq., were subsequently given October 28, 2026, for definite hearing.
While the courtroom proceedings were postponed, events unfolding inside the Gwagwalada Area Council Secretariat appeared to breathe fresh life into years of investigations first published by Chronicles Reporters.
Long before the change in administration, Chronicles Reporters repeatedly published reports alleging that numerous contractors had executed projects for the Area Council without receiving payment. The newspaper also questioned the transparency of contract administration and demanded accountability over several public projects.
Those publications allegedly came at a heavy price.
Chronicles Reporters has consistently maintained that its founder, Manasseh B.P., became the target of intimidation following the newspaper’s investigations.
According to the newspaper, Manasseh was allegedly abducted by suspected political thugs linked to the former administration and taken to Abu Giri’s residence, where he was allegedly assaulted before being handed over to the police. He was later arraigned before a court on allegations of criminal defacement.
The newspaper has always maintained that the criminal proceedings were connected to its investigative reporting and represented an attempt to silence critical journalism. Those allegations have been publicly disputed and remain matters of contention.
Months after the transition to a new administration, the Gwagwalada Area Council has now commenced a comprehensive physical verification of contractors, consultants and technical partners engaged during the previous government.
The findings announced after the first day of the exercise have generated fresh public interest.
According to the verification committee chaired by Engr. Chide Momoh Oguh, several contractors responsible for the installation of solar street lights across the Area Council informed the committee that despite successfully completing their projects, they had not received payment.
The affected contractors reportedly produced award documents and other supporting records while expressing frustration over prolonged non-payment for completed government contracts.
Perhaps even more troubling was the committee’s disclosure that some contractors possessed valid letters of award, yet corresponding contract files could not be found within the official records of the Area Council.
The revelation has raised serious questions about record management, documentation and administrative procedures during the previous administration.
The verification exercise also uncovered allegations from several contractors that they paid large sums of money to individuals who allegedly promised to facilitate the award of government contracts outside official procedures.
If established after investigation, such allegations could point to serious violations of due process, procurement standards and ethical principles in public administration.
The verification committee confirmed that all complaints and supporting documents have been received and documented for detailed examination before recommendations are submitted to the Executive Chairman.
The present administration, led by Hon. Kasim Mohammed, said the exercise is intended to establish transparency, restore confidence in government institutions, verify genuine contractual obligations and strengthen accountability in the management of public resources.
For many observers, the developments have revived questions that Chronicles Reporters had raised years earlier, at a time when its publications attracted intense controversy and the newspaper says its publisher was subjected to intimidation, arrest and prosecution.
Although the verification exercise is still ongoing and its final report has yet to be released, its preliminary findings have already become one of the most consequential official examinations of contracts awarded during the Abu Giri administration.
With the High Court now set to hear the Mandamus application on October 28, 2026, attention will not only focus on the legal battle involving Chronicles Reporters but also on whether the ongoing verification exercise will ultimately establish the full extent of the administrative irregularities alleged by affected contractors and whether those found responsible will be held accountable under the law.
As both the courtroom and the verification committee continue their work, many residents believe the coming months could determine whether years of unanswered allegations surrounding public contracts in Gwagwalada finally receive judicial and administrative scrutiny.