Officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC) who have been involved in land allocation racketeering in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) , have been reprimanded by the House of Representatives.
The House said that the illicit land business has been going on from 2010 to date. The revelation was made at a public hearing organised by the House committee on Lands which is investigating land allocation racketeering in FCT
To this effect, the Committee has summoned the Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC) Dr. Olu Abolurin to come and clarify the role of the outfit in the matter.
The CG’s summon followed revelation of alleged sale of several plots of land by consultants and officers of the Corps to unsuspecting public. The Committee was told how a Principal Officer whose name was not made known, who also claimed to be a consultant with the NSCDC sold parcels of land to the public.
In a presentation by the association of allotees in Goza estate, Abuneme Okeke, who led the group said the public was deliberately deceived by the said officer becaseu the transactions were conducted within the premises of the Gudu office of the NSCDC.
He said: “The Principal Officer’s office is inside the Civil Defence office in Gudu and everybody that has to do with the transaction is always wearing Civil Defence uniform. We are talking of inside the Civil Defence office, not outside, not even outside fence but right inside.
“Apart from that, the receipt we were issued with after payment to an account name Denamy Nigerian Limited 32223405192110 has Civil Defence logo and coat of arm on it.
“We are illiterates, so we ask questions and the Principal Officer showed us approvals from Development Control Department of the FCDA. We even have to pay for the fencing of the Goza estate which was not supposed to be so.
“People were buying this land, which was not cheap at between N800,000 and N1.2m because everybody believed that if it was coming from an institution of government it must be genuine”.
He however said trouble started when FCDA arrived at the estate and marked some structures for demolition but that the owners would be compensated before the demolition.
“They said the estate has been marked for the Centenary Village, we are against that but the FCDA came and pulled down our houses without compensating us contrary to what we were told in spite of several representations we made to the FCDA,” he added.
He said the said officer might have resigned his appointment and fled the country.
Members of the House of Representatives expressed disbelief when they were told that the Federal Government has not fulfilled its promise of compensating 854 indigenous communities of the Federal Capital Territory after 37 years their land was taken over from them.
Meanwhile the Minister of the FCT, Sen. Bala Mohammed has offered explanation on matters regarding land swap in the FCT even as some communities accused the FCT authorities of failing to pay them compensations 37 years after being dislodged.
The Galadinwa community said it was no longer interested in the issue of compensation but that the government should consider reintegration instead.
According to the counsel to the community, Musa Banya that was protesting the allocation of its ancestral home and farmland to five private developers by FCDA, the government cannot pay the N2.8b compensation bill computed in 1975 when added to the interest that could have accrued till date.
He said though the government claimed to have partially compensated some of the communities but that it amounted to nothing as the constitution does not recognize partial compensation.
He cited one Alh. Yahaya on whose land Transcorp Hilton Hotel is standing today but awarded N20.00 by the government.
“What we are seeking for is reintegration since the government can’t afford to compensate us or resettle us where we came from,” Banya said.
Chairman of the ad hoc Committee, Bimbo Daramola however said the it is the duty of the parliament to ensure justice for all Nigerians irrespective of their status.
He said: “This won’t go down as just another probe, because this is one probe we are ready to get to its root. It is not about witch-hunting anybody but there is no big or small Nigerian in this situation.
“More than anything else, the right of every Nigerian must be protected. This is not threat and that is why we are not going to look for anything but work with facts made available to us by Nigerians”.
While declaring open the hearing, the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal who was represented by the Deputy House Leader, Leo Ogor said the parliament has not gone out of its responsibilities to investigate alleged land scam in the FCT.
“The exercise is not to witch-hunt anyone and is not about selfish interest but how to move the nation forward,” he said.