Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A legal practitioner and former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Shendam Branch, Gabriel Nkup Tsenyen, has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, accusing the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, of using her office to intimidate him, abuse state institutions, and unlawfully acquire his family's ancestral land in Plateau State. The petition, dated 15 June 2026 and received at the Office of the Chief Justice on 23 June 2026, was obtained by SaharaReporters on Monday, 13 July 2026.
Tsenyen, who also serves as the head of the Tsenyen family of Ngotuguut Village in Shendam Local Government Area, Plateau State, alleged that the dispute began in July 2023 when members of his family informed him that their ancestral land at Nka'apin had been encroached upon by the Pa William Mensem Memorial Foundation School. According to the lawyer, the school is operated by the Pa William Mensem Education and Scholarship Foundation, an organisation he claims is promoted by Justice Dongban-Mensem. "Sometime in July of 2023 my brothers of the Tsenyen Family called me to report that our family land in Nka'apin in Ngotuguut Village has been encroached upon by the Pa William Mensem Memorial Foundation School and that all efforts to get the school to stay off had proved abortive," he wrote. "Pa William Mensem Education and Scholarship Foundation is an NGO being promoted by the Hon. PCA and they run this school on commercial basis in our village."
The lawyer claimed that he made repeated attempts to resolve the matter directly with the President of the Court of Appeal before resorting to litigation. He alleged that he telephoned her on multiple occasions, sent WhatsApp and email messages, and attempted to meet her both in her office and residence, but received no response. When he eventually contacted one of her personal aides, Arc. Alphonsus Hoomsuk Baba, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the foundation school, the aide allegedly informed him that the acquisition of the land had been undertaken with the knowledge of the Court of Appeal President and advised him to seek legal redress if dissatisfied. According to the petition, the aide told him that it was Niemuut Mensem, the younger brother of the Court of Appeal President, who took him and the Justice to the land, adding that if he was not satisfied with the acquisition, they could go to court.
Tsenyen said his family subsequently instituted a suit before the High Court in Shendam over the disputed land. However, he alleged that despite the pending litigation, pressure mounted against him and his relatives within their community, with threats escalating after they filed the case. He claimed that rather than investigate the complaints, administrators of community WhatsApp platforms allegedly deleted the reports from the online forums. He also alleged that another parcel of land located between his family's property and the foundation school was left untouched after its owner allegedly reached an understanding with the Court of Appeal President, raising questions about the selective nature of the land acquisition.
The lawyer further accused Justice Dongban-Mensem of using security agencies against him after the institution of the court case. According to the petition, the President of the Court of Appeal allegedly caused a petition to be written to the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) through a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, F.K. Idepefo, accusing him of threatening her life and conspiring with criminals to destabilise Ngotuguut Village. "In a surprising twist to this scenario and in total disregard of the pending suit at the High Court Shendam, the Hon. PCA caused a petition to be written against me on her behalf to the Director General Department of State Services National Headquarters Abuja by Mr. F. K. Idepefo, SAN wherein it was alleged that I had been threatening the life of the PCA and that I was collaborating with some criminals to destabilize the Ngotuguut Village," the petition stated.
Tsenyen denied the allegations and argued that he was never confronted with the claims before the petition was submitted to the DSS. "It is interesting to note that the PCA who is an active member of our Ngotugu'ut People and Lu'udas Ngotugu'ut WhatsApp Platforms never called me, picked my calls or invited me to confront me with these allegations," he wrote. He urged the Chief Justice to intervene, alleging that he was facing oppression because of his decision to challenge the land acquisition in court.
The petition has raised serious questions about judicial conduct, abuse of office, and the use of state security apparatus to intimidate citizens. As of the time of filing this report, the National Judicial Council (NJC) and Justice Dongban-Mensem had not publicly responded to the allegations. However, a 2024 NJC statement noted that several petitions against the Appeal Court President had previously been dismissed. The petition has been submitted to the Office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and it remains to be seen whether the NJC will investigate the allegations or treat them as unsubstantiated. For the people of Ngotuguut Village and the Tsenyen family, the petition represents a desperate plea for justice in a land dispute that has pitted a family against one of the country's most powerful judicial officers.
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