The Abuja Landscam

The Abuja Land Scam         
Friday, 16 December 2011 17:24


FCT Minister Must Punish Fraudulent FCDA/ Agis Land Cabal-Rotary Boss.... Industrialist Loses N60million to the Abuja Land Cabal in three days. - Synopsis: Industrialist and philanthropist, Nze Kanayo Chuwkumezie, the President of Asokoro Rotary club, Abuja is presently not a particularly happy man. A scientific- operating cabal in the Federal Capital Development
Authority (FCDA) together with fraudulent officials of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) has allegedly stole a parcel of his land and demolished the development thereon. Later, another piece of land meant for the construction of a Park which was allocated to him by authorities of the Department of Parks and Recreation was also high jacked, thus making him lose a whooping N60million within a space of three days. Below, he writes on how he wants the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, to come to his assistance and deal with members of the Cabal.
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My property was demolished even after documents show that it was legally allocated to me? Sincerely, I am short of words as I cannot really fathom any reason why any sane person could go to this level of vandalization and destroyed a property that was legally given to another human being and for which payment had been made in full. I feel cheated with a belief that I am being deprived of something that I laboured for in the past four years during which I bought the land. I feel like it is a case of someone very powerful using his official position to take something that belongs to another person.

In 2008, my wife and I, unable to bear the unreasonable rent being demanded by Agents and Landlords in Abuja, decided to approach a bank for loan to build our own house. So, we sought the services of an Agent called Pius Odumegwu who took us round so many properties and pieces of land out of which we settled for this now contentious peace of land with Plot Number 155, Durumi R02 Abuja which is very close to the American International School. We asked him to conduct a search on the land on the authority of the original owner, a serving Commodore in the Nigerian Air Force whose name is Balogun. Because of the year the land was applied for at the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) office, I wouldn't say that the search was truly conclusive because AGIS said that the land was not in their system.

Let me quote the report verbatim "No information on the data base; all recertification done within 2007 and 2008 are yet to be migraated in to the data base" Thus AGIS officials did not say that the land was fake and my Agent said that if it was fake, they would say so immediately. They only said that it was not written in their system.

There and then, we paid the N6million demanded by the owner on the land, signed agreement and we got a power of Attorney signed by Commodore Balogun and we collected all the relevant documents from him through his Agent, Mrs. Uche Ezeala who introduced the land to us. I thereafter registered the Power of Attorney and started processing the C of O. I was told that my power of Attorney dropped for registration must first be processed but that meanwhile I should go for the site plan.

I went for the site plan and was once again told that the land was not yet in the system. Then I followed up on the Power of Attorney and after months of dribbling, I was told that they were looking for the hard file of the land. This was where the story started changing. Some months later we saw a publication in the papers alleging that there were some lands in Abuja with incomplete documentation and we saw the number of our own Plot there. I rushed down from the village when my wife told me.

We went to AGIS where they said our issue was not actually a problem but that we should bring the original documents, since, according to them, there were some documents missing in the file. I went and brought the original documents which I gave to the AGIS officials. They gave two weeks as period for the normalization process of all the plots of land advertised as having incomplete documentation. A week before the grace period lapsed, I didn't hear about anything from AGIS and when I went there to inquire about why they did not do anything, they told me that they had no materials to work with and two days before the expiration of the time limit, I had to write an official letter to them to at least prove that I was there and that I had fulfilled all the conditions laid by them but that they have refused to give me any letter to act as proof that I have scaled all the hurdles.

They stamped the letter to show that it was received and with that I, at least, had something to show as proof that I brought my originals as published. I quickly fenced the land immediately I bought it in 2008 and was waiting for papers from the AGIS Authorities to be able to build. When the papers were not forthcoming, I went and applied for the C of O for the land and they said that they were yet to complete the processes on all the landed properties they published. So, we were all delayed until when robbers burgled my neighbour's house, I was advised to go and complete the fencing and put the security house to avoid my property being used by miscreants which I did and now they have come today, Tuesday, December 6, 2011 to demolish it. In fact, last week when they were marking some structures that they wanted to remove and they marked mine, I had to go to AGIS to find out the real status of that land once again because I had been pushing for such for a long time.

To my utmost surprise however, I learnt that the land has been fraudulently allocated to another person this May 2011 whose name is one Hamza Madaki and investigation by my Agent showed that a Deputy Director at FCDA had been coming to the land to say that it belongs to him and that all developments on the land should stop. I instructed that my phone should be given to him so that he could phone me or send me an official letter since I wrote them severally and have done everything to make them authenticate my land as genuine but each time, I tried, the Deputy Director would block my moves and I started wondering why a Deputy Director in FCDA should take a land that does not belong to him.

I asked him to let us meet so that we can sort things out but the Deputy Director has refused and he is the one pulling the strings over this issue. I am particularly angry that it was only on Sunday, December 4, 2011 when I put the gate that they realized that they had to demolish the development on the plot the following day.

This shows that the Deputy Director has put a permanent spy on the piece of land. So, I see it as someone using his official position to intimidate a citizen of this country. Also, there is another lady called Amaka that is alleged to be the informant about all the developments going up in that place where the land is located. I gathered that each time the FCDA/AGIS people collected other people's land fraudulently, they allegedly sold them to the Amaka and the lady is said to own up to 18 properties around the place alone which are built on the lands collected fraudulently from other people. When they were demolishing my own property on Monday, she was said to be dancing and saying that I was proving too stubborn with a promise that the land would soon be owned her. I learnt that she already owns the one sharing fence with me which was also marked but was not demolished except for the batcher inside.

I see this as a kind of networking by a firmly-rooted Cabal in FCDA/AGIS bent on depriving people of their lands and selling to their collaborators outside the office of FCDA/AGIS. Also, imagine the issue another piece of land allocated to my company which the Cabal also snatched from me this week too, all within a space of three days. The piece of land, Park No 1066. Bo2 Durumi, Abuja was allocated to me genuinely by the office of the Director, Department of Parks and Recreation under the supervision of the Director, Abuja Metropolitan Management Agency, and we have paid up all the necessary Parks and Recreation fees and charges.

We have also gotten surveyors to survey, put beacons and do all the topographical analysis to enable us proceed with arranging, providing and planting trees and flowers after clearing and we have collected the satellite image. On Thursday, December 1, 2011, we went to collect the invoice to pay for the site plan only to be told that the park has been given out to be made a school regardless of the fact that we applied to the FCT Minister for the development of this Park and we have followed all the processes for its procurement. That was my discovery at AGIS when I went to pay for and get the site plan for the development of the Park. That same Friday I wrote the director of parks and Recreation on the development and I saw him instantly adding notes on it to a department.

The next day Saturday, December 3, 2011, I discovered that the area was burnt down without regards to the vegetation on the Park. I was waiting till Monday, December 5, 2011 to report the distortion of my plan for the Park to the appropriate quarters but on Sunday December 4, 2011, I got a report early in the morning that some illegal people were digging the foundation and demarcating the plot. I immediately rushed to the scene, snapped some pictures of the mutilation of the plot and accosted whom I learnt was the Engineer supervising the construction. I informed him that the plot he was mutilating was beaconed by me after its allocation to my company.

I also informed him that the plot is a Recreation Park in the Abuja Master Plan that cannot be turned into a School and that he should stop construction so that he won't waste much resources as the school would be demolished by government at the end of the day. He only told me that he will make calls which he did make and left while the workers continued digging and making demarcations.

I am appealing to the FCT Minister, the Director of AMMA and that of Parks and Recreation to visit or send their men to the site as a matter of urgency so as to stop further construction going on there and before they further distort the topography of the plot which is a Recreation Park in the Abuja Master Plan. Additionally, I am appealing to the FCT Minister to ensure that the area be reverted to its original Park status and my company be allowed to carry on with its development since it was duly allocated to us for its development into a Park. This is why I say that these things needed to be investigated.

I have laid any official complaint with the FCT Minister about the illegal demolition, the snatching of the Parks plot and about the activities of the Cabal
The demolition was carried out on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 and am writing to the Minister to come to my aid and restore these properties that were legally allocated to me and which I have fully paid for.

I have already engaged the services of a Lawyer to sue the Development Control, the AGIS, the FCDA and join the FCT Minister and Commodore Balogun that sold the land to me as Defendants because I really worked hard to make the money I used in paying for the properties and I even took loan to complete the purchase and I have been paying rent for my accommodation in Abuja ever since. But we are tarrying a while presently because I was told that the Minister is a man of God who listens to genuine complaints and act fast on them and so we are presently leaving everything to him. I lost more than N60 million on those parcels of land in only three days because that is the present value of the sales of those plots

I must say that I am disillusioned at what we are experiencing. This is the reward for answering the call by the Federal Government to return home after studying abroad. I was very comfortable as a student and after my Post Graduate in Europe, I was offered many job opportunities; But no, I decided to come here to contribute my own quota which I am doing honourably.
At least I have over twenty youths that I currently put out of the unemployment market through my own style of micro credit. many have benefited in the past. Let me not go too deep into the achievements as the President of Rotary Club of Asokoro. But mention must be made that I am instrumental to Micro Credit to Kuyizhi Village in Kuje and will be citing a borehole and six unit toilet in Kpaduma village of Asokoro in January 2012.

To the FCT that is trying to deprive me of my land, I have represented them in many Art Exhibitions and in 2005 beat all exhibitors in Abuja and then in 2006 at the Kaduna International Trade Fair, I represented the FCT and defeated the other 36 States of the federation in the cultural exhibition of the Trade Fair.

I personally received the certificate during the closing ceremony and handed it to the Abuja Council for Arts and Culture that sellected me to represent the FCT. Then as the leader of people, I am the Chairman of my Town Union,' Ukpor, here in Abuja. So I am contributing in my own way to the development of Abuja and to be so treated, I feel very disillusioned; I for the first time since I returned from the diaspora feel that I have made a mistake to have returned to Nigeria after my studies Abroad. I feel sad that I am feeling this way.

Nze Kanayo Chuwkumezie
www.elombah.com

Add New Search Comments (1)
|178.101.239.xxx |2011-12-17 13:16:13 Abdulrazaq Jimoh
I have similar experience over a piece of land in wuye. The land which was acquire in 2007 had gone thru recertification and was introduced to us by a staff of AGIS. We paid for and conducted a legal search on it, the search report read "certificate ready for collection" as such we paid for it, collected the c of o Bill, paid and collected the c of o and fenced it. Sometime last year, immediately after contract was awarded for infrastructural development of the district we received a letter from a committee set up by fcda. At the committee hearing we were told there was no ministerial approval for the land, as such the c of o was issued in error. They went further to publish in the daily trust that the land docs are fake/forged. We instructed our lawyers and filed a case against the minister and fcda at the abuja high court in December last year. We were in court and they allocated the land to one company in January and April issued a c of o to the company in what is seen as record timing. The questions begging for answers are 1. Whose duty is it to move files for ministerial approval, is it the land applicant or AGIS internal official duty. 2. Assuming without conceding that there was no ministerial approval how did the minister end up issuing a c of o for the land. 3. Whose fault is it, is it that of the unsuspecting outsider who does not have access to the contents of AGIS files. 3. Why was it not discovered at the stage of recertification that there is no ministerial approval, why was it not disclosed in the search report. 4. Why rush into re allocation and issuance of c of o to another party. 5. After declaring the land docs in our possession as fake/forged one wonders why nobody is being charge to court nor held responsible. IT IS PURELY A CASE OF SYSTEMIC LAND GRAB BY AGIS/FCDA STAFF.