The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Land

  • Monarch advises people on land

    The monarch of Orimedu community in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government of Lagos State, Oba Amusa Atiku, has advised people on how to go about the land in his domain.

    He said they should guard against buying land from hoodlums and land grabbers.

    The traditional ruler, at a news briefing in Lagos at the weekend, said the land at Orimedu had been surveyed “and no part of it is left unsurveyed.”

    He said: “The Orimedu community implores licensed and unlicensed surveyors and any person intending to survey any part of the land that all land within the jurisdiction of the community, both excised and unexcised, to take note.

    “Transactions affecting Orimedu land must be carried out in my palace and in my presence.

    “Any action or move by any person(s) or group(s) of person contrary to these shall be deemed to be null and void.”

     

  • Land dispute: community petitions Obiano, DSS

    A community in Anambra State has petitioned Governor Willie Obiano and the Department of State Service (DSS) over a land tussle between it and another community.

    The Umuawo community, Nando, in Anambra East Local Government Area of the state, also petitioned the Registrar, Court of Appeal Enugu, and Chairman, State Boundary Committee and member representing Anambra East and West Federal Constituency.

    The petition, signed on behalf of the community by their lawyer, I. Nsofor, was based on the land dispute between Umuawo and Abube-Agu communities which is still pending at the Appeal Court.

    Umuawo community had warned the boundary committee in the state, to be wary of the consequences of any action on the land.

    “Recall that the Court of Appeal is now fully seized of the matter and your conduct amounts to sitting on appeal over the Court of Appeal proceedings and same is an affront to the said court.

    “Bear in mind that should you go ahead and re-demarcate the land which is already sub judice, it will foist on the Court of Appeal a fait accompli.

    “Our clients will not participate in the purported re-demarcation of the boundaries of the land in question should you insist on going on with the re-demarcation until the Court of Appeal finally determines the appeal.

    “The Committee should be answerable for any attendant breakdown of the law and order in the parties’ community should the Committee go on with the boundary re-demarcation”

    “We shall endorse a copy of this letter to the Registrar, Court of Appeal, Enugu to alert their Lordships of the utter contempt of the court being perpetrated by your Committee of which you very well know the consequences.

    “We shall cause the relevant Form 48 to be served on you and members of the Committee should you defy the Court of Appeal and continue with the on-going illegality,” the community wrote.

  • Cleric denies assault over land dispute

    An Ado-Ekiti based Muslim cleric, Alhaji Abdul Rahman Sanusi, has denied complicity in assault, damages and stealing over a land dispute with a couple which landed him in prison in December last year.

    Sanusi, who is Ekiti State Amir I Ulama (commander of Muslims and Alfas in Ekiti), spoke with our reporter on Sunday.

    He maintained that he was innocent of the offence for which he was jailed.

    He explained that his experience in prison showed that there are many innocent people are in custody for flimsy reasons while others are there for unknown and accidental causes.

    Sanusi said he purchased one acre of land in Olorunsogo area of Ado Ekiti on which he built eleven flats of two bedroom backed with valid documents including Certificate of Occupancy, land receipt, survey plan, among others.

    He said the couple came one day claiming that they had bought a plot of land within his acre for N100,000 expressing surprise on the development since he had fenced the land with building foundation on it seven years earlier with valid documents.

    Sanusi said he sought for a peaceful resolution of the dispute being a religious leader but was surprised that he was dragged to court and slammed with charges of assault, damages and stealing as the couple had threatened to use their influence deal with him.

    Sanusi said: “The case was taken to a magistrate court where I was accused of assault, stealing of Nokia phone on the land premises, using cutlass to attack them, whereas I presented to the court the pictures where they were destroying the building I erected on the land, but all to no avail.

    “I was told at the court that the pictures were exhibits. The judgment was delivered on December 16, 2016. The m said he did not deliver judgement on land issue but “assault”  I was sentenced to three months imprison for assault, damages and stealing.

    “I didn’t commit any assault. My position as a religious leader in the state is so sensitive that I dare not hurt a fly! Not even fellow human being. For instance, you can imagine that I steal Nokia phone, when my children are using phones that are better off.  What an embarrassment!

    “It is high time for our judiciary to hammer on calling a spade a spade and disallow the negative influence of manipulation. From my experience in the prison, I discovered that a lot are there in the prison because of flimsy reason or unknown accidental causes.”

  • Centenary City land owners to stage protest

    Land owners on which the Centenary City is being developed will tomorrow, at 11am, stage a protest at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

    The protest, which will be against the alleged land fraud in which the former Secretary of the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Pius Anyim, was accused of being involved in, will begin at the FCDA and proceed to the National Assembly.

    Executive Chairman, Century 21 Real Estate Investment Trust Limited, Sir F.M. Osuji, stated in a statement that the demonstration will be “a peaceful protest by the real land owners”.

  • Bayelsa urged to stay action on land allocation for grazing

    A group, Ijaw Professionals Association (IPA), yesterday urged Bayelsa State government to stay action on its plan to allocate 1,200 hectares to herdsmen for grazing.

    Mr. Iniruo Wills and Mr. Elaye Otrofanowei, the homeland chapter president I and president in charge of Lagos chapter, in a statement in Yenagoa, enjoined Governor Seriake Dickson to put the decision on hold until after stakeholders’ consultations.

    They condemned the attack by suspected members of Bayelsa State Volunteers on a group of Ijaw stakeholders during a peaceful protest in Yenagoa

    The IPA decried what it called “the hypocritical role played by security agents and top public officers” who supervised the alleged assault on the protesters.

    It wondered why such violence would be unleashed on the stakeholders, who protested peacefully on February14 in “The Jerusalem of Ijaw Nation”.

    “This is a most dangerous and grossly undemocratic practice that must not be allowed in Ijaw land or indeed in Nigeria.

    “The peaceful exercise of fundamental rights to freedom of assembly, expression and peaceful protest under the law, should not to be forcefully denied or suppressed, whether by official or unofficial forces,” the organisation said.

    It advised the governor to “urgently conduct a wide consultation to get further insights on the subject by allowing stakeholders to express their views and allay the deeply held apprehension.”

    IPA urged the National Human Rights Commission and the Inspector-General of Police to order an independent investigation into the February 14 incident.

    It said the probe would unravel the truth and ensure redress for the victims, adding that culprits would be brought to justice.

  • Rice farmer urges govt to provide land for farming

    The Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Delta State, Chief Silvanus Ejezie, has urged the government to provide land in the wetland for dry season farming.

    Ejezie, who spoke in an interview yesterday with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba, said the association identified wetland in the state suitable for all-year farming.

    He advised the government to procure such areas, clear and allocate them to farmers for farming.

    Ejezie said the association proposed a release of five hectares by every local government for the cultivation of rice, to boost food production.

    He said unlike in the North, there were no dams in the South to encourage all-year farming.

    “Our challenge for not going into all-year farming is because we do not have dams like our counterparts in the North.

    “Engaging in dry season farming here is a trial. But if the government encourages the 25 councils to provide land for rice cultivation, Delta will produce more rice.

    “If the government helps to clear such wetland in Ndokwa and other parts of the state, it will support dry season farming and boost rice production.

    “By so doing, the cost of farming will be reduced and we can make more progress,” the chairman said.

    He said at present, rice farmers managed to engage in dry season cultivation by irrigating farmlands with water from boreholes.

    He said the practice was challenging and expensive due to high cost of fuel to power pumping machines.

    On the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), he said participating farmers, who had been trained, were hoping and waiting for the funds to be released.

    NAN recalls that the CBN in 2016 began pilot phase of the programme with rice production in Kebbi State.

    The ABP aims at creating economic linkages between over 600,000 smallholder farmers and reputable large-scale processors, to increase agricultural output and improve capacity utilisation of integrated mills.

    It is also expected to close the gap between the levels of local rice production and domestic consumption, as well as complement the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture by graduating GES farmers from subsistence farming to commercial production.

     

  • Ex-minister’s son ‘pays N1b cash for land, four houses’

    Ex-minister’s son ‘pays N1b cash for land, four houses’

    EFCC to arraign suspects today

    Shamsudeen Bala, the son of a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), paid about N1billion cash for plots of land and houses, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
    The suspect will be arraigned in court today alongside four others— Bird Trust Agro Allied Ltd, Intertrans Global Logistics Ltd, Diakin Telecommunications Ltd and Bal-Vac Mining Ltd.
    All the suspects are to face a 15-count charge at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
    According to the EFCC, the son of the former minister, Bala Mohammed, paid cash for five plots of land and four properties in highbrow areas of Abuja to avoid any suspicion by banks and other monitoring agencies.
    The purchases include five plots at Asokoro Gardens; House FS 2 B, Green Acre Estate Apo-Dutse, Abuja; House FS 1A, Green Acre Estate, Apo-Dutse; FS 1B, Green Acre Estate, Apo-Dutse, Abuja and House 2A, No. 7, Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja.
    The anti-graft agency is accusing Shamsudeen of money laundering for allegedly making cash payment for choice houses in excess of the statutory limit without going through a financial institution.
    Three of the duplexes traced to Shamsudeen have been seized in line with sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004 and Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court Act, 2004, which empower the anti-graft agency to invoke Interim Assets Forfeiture Clause.
    “Section 28 of the EFCC Act reads: ‘Where a person is arrested for an offence under this Act, the Commission shall immediately trace and attach all the assets and properties of the person acquired as a result of such economic or financial crime and shall thereafter cause to be obtained an interim attachment order from the Court.’
    The EFCC gave details of how the plots of land and mansions were bought in the 15 charges against Shamsudeen and four others.
    The charges read: “That you Shamsudeen Bala (alias Shamsudeen Mohammed Bala), Bird Trust Agro Allied Ltd, Intertrans Global Logistics Ltd, Diakin Telecommunications Ltd and Bal- Vac Mining Ltd sometime in 2015 in Abuja conspired amongst yourselves to make cash payment exceeding the statutory limit without going through a financial institution and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a), of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) and (4) of the same Act.
    Shamsudeen and the others are said to have paid:
    •N80million cash to Sunrise Estate Development Ltd for the purchase of plot nos. 2116 and 2276 at Asokoro Gardens (alias Sunrise Estate) Abuja which sum exceeded the statutory limit and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) and (4) of the same Act;
    •N100million cash to Sunrise Estate Development Ltd for the purchase of plot nos. 2116 and 2276 at Asokoro Gardens (alias Sunrise Estate) Abuja which sum exceeded the statutory limit and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as (amended by Act No. 1 of 2012) and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) and (4) of the same Act;
    •N110,000,000.00 cash to A & K Construction Ltd, Abuja and Sunrise Estate Development Ltd for the purchase of plot nos. 2116 and 2276 at Asokoro Gardens, which sum exceeded the statutory limit and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as (amended by Act No. 1 of 2012) and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) and (4) of the same Act;
    •N200,000,000.00 cash to A & K Construction Ltd Abuja and Sunrise Estate Development Ltd for the purchase of plot nos. 2116 and 2276 at Asokoro Gardens, which sum exceeded the statutory limit and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) and (4) of the same Act.
    •N296,000,000.00 cash to A & K Construction Ltd Abuja for the construction of a house on plot nos. 2116 and 2276 at Asokoro Gardens (alias Sunrise Estate), Abuja which sum exceeded the statutory limit and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012) and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) and (4) of the same Act;
    •N45,475,000.00 only to Abuja Investment Company Ltd as part payment for the purchase of House FS 2 B Green Acre Estate Apo- Dutse Abuja;
    *N74,244,005.00 cash to Abuja Investment Company Ltd as part payment for purchase of House FS 1A Green Acre Estate Apo-Dutse Abuja;
    •N74, 244,005.00 only to Abuja Investment Company Limited as part payment for purchase of FS 1B Green Acre Estate Apo-Dutse, Abuja; and paid
    •N200million cash to Faruk Saleh at Abuja for House 2A, No. 7 Gana Street, Maitama Abuja;
    Shamsudeen Bala(alias Shamsuden Mohammed Bala) is accused of failing on June 2016 to make full declaration of his assets to wit: your accounts domiciled at Standard Chartered Bank Plc when he completed the EFCC Asset Declaration Form A, contrary Section 27(1) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004 and punishable under Section 27(3) of the same Act.

  • Land not ceded to Fulani herdsmen, says Ortom

    Land not ceded to Fulani herdsmen, says Ortom

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said no land in his state was ceded to Fulani herdsmen. He accused his political detractors of spreading the allegation.
    He was reacting to allegations against his administration following the peace agreement between the Agatu and Fulani herdsmen.
    The governor addressed State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
    He said: “It is not the people who are saying this. There was a peace pact brokered by the Agatu people and the Fulani herdsmen. I and Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-Makura, were there to moderate and allow them.
    “And insinuations that part of the land was ceded to Fulani is false. It is being instigated by our political opponents who have nothing to sell to the people. They want to use that to instigate the people against our government, but they cannot because we are sincere, God-fearing and truthful.
    “We have ensured peace in our land. As I talk now, in my local government, herdsmen move freely. But they are being monitored and they are relating with the farmers very well. In 2013, my house and rice farm was burnt in a day and more than 50 of my kinsmen were killed.
    “But since I came in as a governor, I have brokered peace and everything is moving well. The Agatu people said they are tired of the crisis and want to live a normal life. They also wanted Fulani herdsmen born and bred in Agatu land to come back. But the foreign herdsmen, who are violent and have been causing destruction, should not come near their territory.
    “This was an understanding between two groups. It is not that any land was ceded to any Fulani herdsman and all that. But the truth of the matter is that we must learn to be peaceful. It is only when we have peace that we can begin to improve our states, local governments and the country,” Ortom said.
    On the purpose of his visit to the Villa, Ortom said he came to pay solidarity visit to the Acting President and to wish Mr. President, who is on vacation, good health and safe return to Nigeria.
    “And we pray that God will continue to help this administration that came at a time that Nigeria is passing through recession occasioned by bad leadership by past administration.”

  • Rethink ban of cars import through land borders

    SIR: I have read patiently and read with rapt attention the reason being put forward by the promoters and supporters of the recent ban of cars import through the land borders. However, up till this hour, I am not convinced of the reasons given to justify that awkward policy.

    Government all over the world utilises the principles of market segmentation in their dealings with the citizens, so that the policies would be tailored-made to suit the various strata of the citizenry. Why on earth would a sensible government come up with a one-size-fit-all policy when the environment in which the policy is expected to be implemented is segmented?

    How would a car dealer that can afford to import only one unit of car through the Maigatari border in Jigawa State be made to ship the car through Lagos Port covering thousands of kilometres when his market is in Jigawa/Kano axis? What about the risk involved?

    What happened to those small scale traders who go about their businesses in the Kamba, Illela, MaiAdua, Mubi and other border communities which relied mostly on those car importers and their workers for survival? Is the government saying they should all pack up their businesses?

    What this policy is saying in a simple term is that, an agency of government that is saddled with the responsibilities of collecting import duties have failed in the discharge of its responsibilities. And coming up with this policy is not the panacea to the problem; rather, it would compound the problem since thousands of people would certainly lose their jobs.

    Can’t government utilize information technology to tackle the problem of smuggling? What happened to the inter-agency collaboration that is being put in place? What about the capacity building for the Customs personnel? These are some of the things that need to be done, instead of subjecting the poor masses to avoidable hardship.

    I am happy that the National Assembly has intervened by asking the executive arm to suspend that policy. That is a good development, because President Muhammadu Buhari, Hamid Ali, Kemi Adeosun cannot claim to know better or feel the pulse of the people than the over 400 parliamentarians who were drawn from their various field of human endeavour.

     

    • Mohammed Auta,

    Jalingo, Taraba State.

  • Ogun civil servants to be allocated land for farming

    Ogun State civil servants are to be allocated land for agricultural purposes.

    Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, stated this while speaking to reporters during the visit of the Presidential Task Force on Agricultural Commodities and Production led by Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Dakingari.

    Amosun said the government took the decision as a way to improve food production, ensuring food security and improving workers’ personal income.

    He added that the civil servants will only be free to work on their farms after office hours and public holidays as they will perform their duties during the statutory five working days.

    Amosun, therefore, counselled the state civil servants to take advantage of this opportunity when the scheme is fully on board.

    Explaining the government initiative further, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Steven Ipinniwa, said each  interested  civil servant  will be allocated two hectares of cleared land at designated sites while government will also assist them with input.