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Tag: Houses

  • Rainstorm kills 38, damages over 200 houses in Katsina

    Rainstorm kills 38, damages over 200 houses in Katsina

    The Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Monday said that 38 persons had lost their lives following a rainstorm in Jibia Local Government Area of the state.

    Aminu Waziri, the Executive Secretary of the agency, told journalists on Monday in Jibia that the disaster which occurred on Sunday night, lasted for several hours.

    Waziri said areas affected by the disaster include Tundun Takari, Dan Tudu, Unguwar Kwakwa and Unguwar Mai Kwari areas located around river axis.

    He said a rescue team was still in Jibia giving assistance to the people.

    According to him, Governor Aminu Masari has visited the area to assess the damage done to property.

    “What we are doing presently is to find temporary accommodation for people whose houses have been washed away or damaged.

    “As I speak with you now, no fewer than 38 people have lost their lives.

    “Sympathisers from our neighbouring country, Niger Republic, helped us to remove two bodies from a river.

    “We have already buried 21 bodies, while arrangements are being made to bury the remaining 17 dead bodies.

    “Over 200 houses were either washed away or damaged by the rainstorm,” he said.

    The rainstorm has also destroyed a number of farms and killed hundreds of animals in the area.

     

  • Court bars Police, EFCC, DSS, from searching Wike’s houses

    The Federal High Court Abuja has barred the Nigerian Police, the EFCC and the Department of State Security Service, (DSS) from searching houses belonging to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers.

    Wike had in 2017, approached the court seeking an order of injunction restraining the IGP, the Police, the EFCC and the DSS from obtaining a search warrant to search any of his houses.

    Delivering judgement on the matter on Wednesday, Justice Ahmed Mohammed noted that the defendants were in agreement that the plaintiff, Wike, could not be investigated based on the provision of Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution.

    Justice Mohammed said that from the combined reading of Section 308 of the constitution, and sections 149 and 150 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act, (ACJA) 2015, three situations had been prohibited.

    The first, he said, was the provision that no civil or criminal proceedings shall be instituted against the plaintiff.

    He further said that a person covered by the provisions shall not be arrested, and thirdly, any process of court requiring appearance of a person protected under the provisions shall not be applied.

    Justice Mohammed maintained that parties in their submissions, lost the purport and intendment of section 308(1)(c) of the constitution.

    According to him, a careful reading of section 308(1)(c) shows that the constitution has prohibited court process requiring the appearance of a serving governor before any investigative panel.

    He held that the argument of the police and the EFCC that Wike’s residence could be searched without his presence was untenable.

    The judge said it was wrong for the defendants to import meaning or interpretation not included in Section 308 of the constitution by the person who drafted the constitution.

    He held that the essence of the section was to accord immunity to a serving governor so as not to cause distractions to the governor in the act of governance.

    The judge dismissed the objections of the defendants and held that Wike’s suit had succeeded because it had merit.

    Wike had asked for six reliefs but the judge granted three and said while one was not grantable, the others were embedded in the ones granted.

    “The defendants cannot whether by themselves, their servants, agents, officers, privies or in any manner howsoever apply for, obtain, issue or in any way or manner howsoever execute any court process requiring; the appearance of the plaintiff who is currently the governor of Rivers.

    “A declaration that by virtue of the combined effect of section 308 of the Constitution and sections 149 and 150 of ACJA, the defendants cannot in any manner apply for, obtain, issue or execute any search warrant at the residence of the plaintiff in Abuja or in any of the plaintiff’s residence in any other place or locations in Nigeria.

    “An order that the defendants cannot by the combined effect of section 308 of the Constitution and sections 149 and 150 of ACJA, apply for, obtain, issue or execute any search warrant at the residence of the plaintiff in Abuja or in any of the plaintiff’s residence in any other place or locations in Nigeria.”

    The suit was filed in June 2017 by Mr Sylva Ogwemoh, (SAN), on behalf of Wike.

    Ogwemoh had argued that Section 308 which had to do with the immunity clause was put in place to allow serving governors concentrate on the act of governance.

    But the defendants had in opposition, argued that they had the right to search Wike’s residence even in his absence.

     

  • Rent-to-own: Lagos allocates 650 houses to residents

    The Lagos State Government has so far allocated 650 houses to residents under the rent-to-own scheme, the Commissioner for Housing, Gbolahan Lawal, has said.

    Lawal stated this on Friday at the handover of keys to 150 subscribers in the fourth batch of the allocation.

    He said that last year, 500 people were given keys to houses ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedroom flats under the scheme.

    The commissioner stated that the country, Lagos in particular, was presently in the throes of housing deficit occasioned by the demand for decent, secure and affordable housing, which was far higher than supply.

    He said, “In a bid to solve this problem and prevent the continuous emergence of slums, the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode came up with the rent-to-own policy aimed at ensuring that all Lagosians, irrespective of income, status and affiliation, have access to decent and affordable housing.

    “The handing over of keys to another batch of 150 people brings the number of allottees to 650 so far. What this implies is that a total number of 3,000 people have so far benefited from the scheme if calculated at an average of five persons per family.”

    According to Lawal, the state currently has about 5,008 housing units in 12 different locations dedicated to the rent-to-own housing scheme, which enables aspiring homeowners to pay five per cent of the value of the property and spread the balance over a period 10 years.

    He said the state government had also introduced the Rental Housing Programme targeted at persons with irregular sources of income, who might be more interested in rental housing or were not able to meet the requirement of the five per cent commitment for the rent-to-own.

    “The scheme will take effect as soon as the dedicated housing units are ready. With this policy, tenants can move in on payment of one month deposit,” Lawal explained.

     

  • Court orders final forfeiture of Lagos Director’s N28.5m, houses, other properties to FG

    A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday ordered the final forfeiture to the Federal Government the sum of N28.5 million and other property belonging to Jamiu Anifowose, a Director in the Public Works Department of Lagos State.

    Justice Mohammed Aikawa gave the order while ruling on an application filed by the Economic and Finance Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought against the director.

    The court ordered the forfeiture of the sum for being proceeds of unlawful activities.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that among the property ordered to be forfeited are six flats of three-bedroom, another six flats of two-bedroom and six flats of one-bedroom located at Adewale Osiyeku Street, Offin-Ile in Igbogbo-Ikorodu, Lagos State.

    Others include four flats of three-bedroom duplex located at 6, Tunde Gabby Close in Dopemu area of Lagos.

    Justice Aikawa also ordered a final forfeiture of a semi-detached three-bedroom flat and one unit of three-bedroom terrace at Cranbel Court, Citiview Estate, Arepo in Ogun.

    Also to be forfeited was a plot of land situated at Queen’s Garden Estate, off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    The judge had earlier granted an interim order forfeiting the money and the properties to the Federal Government.

    Justice Aikawa also directed the Federal government to take administrative step to ensure that both the money and the properties were transferred to the Lagos State Government in view of the affidavit before the court.

    The judge said Section 17 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act empowered the court to grant an order of forfeiture of properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.

    The judge said that the respondent in this case did not file any counter-affidavit to challenge the plaintiff’s averment.

    The judge said he was only represented by a counsel who made oral application asking the court to set aside its earlier order of interim forfeiture.

    Aikawa added that while making his submissions, counsel to the respondent, had said the onus of proof was on the applicant (EFCC).

    On the side of Lagos State Government which filed an application for joinder, the judge said the state filed an application to show cause that the money belonged to it.

    He held that the court had inherent powers to vary its order despite the provisions of Section 17 of Advanced Fee Fraud Act. (NAN)

  • Alleged $48m fraud: Jonathan’s ex-campaign chief, Olojeme to forfeit 38 houses

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has traced 38 choice houses to a former Chairman of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Dr. Ngozi Olojeme.

    Mrs Olojeme, Deputy Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Goodluck Campaign Organisation in 2015, is being investigated by the EFCC for alleged diversion of $48,485,127 from the accounts of the NSITF.

    Of N62.3billion fraud discovered in NSITF, $48,485,127 is allegedly credited to Mrs. Olojeme.

    The anti- graft agency has secured a court order to place the assets under interim forfeiture, pending Mrs. Olojeme’s trial.

    Besides, EFCC has obtained a warrant from the court to detain the suspect for two weeks to complete the first round of the investigation and her arraignment.

    Mrs. Olojeme, who is said to have taken ill, is at a private hospital in Abuja where EFCC detectives are keeping an eye on her.

    EFCC detectives uncovered 40 houses, 38 of which are believed to be Mrs Olojeme’s.

    Of the 38 houses, detectives rated the mansion at No. 51, Kainji Crescent in Maitama, as a “multi-billion naira piece with some foreign leaders occasionally staying there when they come visiting”.

    The golden mansion was at the weekend sealed off by the EFCC.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “EFCC recovered over 40 properties out of which 38 belong to the ex-NSITF chairman, including the property at No. 51, Kainji Crescent, off Lake Chad Crescent in Maitama District.

    “The Kainji Crescent property is said to have housed some foreign leaders when they came visiting. It is a multi-billion naira mansion.

    “We have invoked sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004 and Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court Act, 2004, which empower the agency to apply the 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 source went on: “As I am talking to you, we have placed all the over 40 assets under interim forfeiture based on the approval of our application by the court. The assets will be temporarily forfeited until the end of the trial of all the affected suspects.”

    “We have also secured a court order to detain her for two weeks in preparation for Dr. Ngozi Olojeme’s arraignment in connection with the alleged diversion of $48,485,127 from NSITF’s account. We have charges already prepared and we will be arraigning her soon.

    “But she sought for medical attention in a private hospital for an undisclosed illness. We accorded her the right to seek medical aid and deployed in detectives and sentry guards to the hospital.”

    The EFCC has already arraigned a former Managing Director of NSITF, Umar Munir Abubakar, and four others for alleged diversion of N18billion.

    The others are Henry Ekhasomi Sambo, Adebayo Adebowale Aderibigbe, Chief Richard U. Uche and Aderemi Adegboyega.

    The cash was said to be the Federal Government’s contribution to the take-off grants and Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS) for Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    EFCC’s report on preliminary investigation said in part: “That through this process, Dr. Ngozi Olojeme, the then NSITF board chairman, has collected a total sum of $48,485,127 from Mr. Chuka Eze (her account officer at FBN), which cash he collected on her behalf being the dollar equivalent of monies paid to BDCs by NSITF contractors.

    “She and others also diverted huge cash allocated for allowances of its staff and compensation to contributors. Detectives actually traced some of the NSITF funds in the personal accounts of Olojeme and the former MD, Umar Abubakar.

    “For instance, Abubakar and others dishonestly converted to N18billion, being contribution from the Federal Government of Nigeria as take-off grants and Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS) for MDAs.

    “The said sum was diverted into personal accounts by an e-payment mandate jointly signed by Umar Munir Abubakar and Henry Ekhasomi Sambo.”

    The report added: “It was discovered that the NSITF accounts in First Bank of Nigeria and other banks have witnessed a total turnover of over N62, 358,401,927 between 2012 and 2015 from the Employee Compensation Scheme contributions.

    “That out of the N62bn, the Federal Government contributed N13,600,000,000 while the sum of N48,758,401,927.80 was contributed by the private sector. That there were several payments to individuals and companies from the NSITF bank accounts for purported contracts or consultancy services.

    “That some individuals and companies that received these payments, in turn, transferred part of the monies directly to the NSITF officials while others transferred huge sums to bureau de change operators who changed them to dollars.”

     

  • FG to take over, sell empty Abuja houses – Presidency

    The Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property on Tuesday said that the federal government may soon take over empty houses in Abuja and sell them.

    The chairman of the panel, Okoi Obono-Obla, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, made this known when the Say no Campaign, a civil society organisation, paid a courtesy call on him in Abuja.

    He said that there was need for the government to collaborate with civil society groups in order to search out properties of looters of national treasury.

    “I want the houses taken over, that is where CSOs will have to work together with us.

    “We have to take over those building and sell them and maybe put the money into education for our children.

    “I was appointed to work to galvanise the anti-corruption war this assignment is a very important one and I will do it well,” he said

    Mr. Obono-Obla said that there was a law known as the Recovery of Public Property special provisions Act which had been in existence for the past 40 years without being implemented by successive regimes.

    He said that if that law was used, corruption would have been reduced drastically in Nigeria.

    He said that the law stated that anyone who lied about their asset would go to prison for 21 years and if they had assets more than their earning their punishment was life imprisonment.

    The prosecutor said that his office was ready to collaborate with civil society groups to fight corruption.

    He urged them to submit the names of people who own properties illegally, especially public servants.

    “This is because I have been asked to focus on public sector corruption.’’

    Mr. Obono-Obla said that public sector corruption was the endemic worm, adding that bankers could also be investigated including anybody who could not explain the source of his wealth.

    He said that the law had been in existence since September 30, 1979; so, anybody who had been in the local, state and federal governments from that period till date could be investigated.

    Earlier, Ezenwa Nwagwu, one of the conveners of the Say no Campaign, said the campaign was birthed to fight against corruption, impunity, rape and election rigging.

    Mr. Nwagwu said that the group sought partnership with the prosecution’s office because of his passion to fight against corruption adding that his appointment as chair would help the prosecution in Nigeria.

    He said that the group had been worried about prosecutions in Nigeria especially that of anti-corruption agencies because sometimes there were compromising issues that were involved.

    “So, we want to be able to screen out particular areas where we will be coming in to assist you and if there are collaborative areas you think we can also collaborate, the CSOs will be able to do.”

    Mr. Nwagwu said that there were empty houses wasting in Abuja and most of them had been built for over 10 years and nobody lived in them.

    He said that the group would partner with the office to ensure that the fight against corruption was intensified.

    Jaiye Gaskiya, another convener of the group, said that there was a need for property identification scheme in Nigeria so property owners could have numbers just like the BVN.

    Mr. Gaskiya said that if people with property register them and they had numbers it would be far much easier to trace.

    NAN

  • Makurdi flood: 110,000 people displaced, over 3,000 houses submerged [Photos]

    The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has confirmed that over 110,000 people in 24 communities including Makurdi, the state capital, have been displaced by flood in recent months.

    Following heavy rains which began on Sunday, August 27, more houses have been affected by the flood with over 3,000 houses submerged.

    Residents of Nyiman BIPC Housing Estate, who were heavily affected by floods said they are yet to get any form of help from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

    Some residents pushed their cars to safety along Doo Palace road in Achusa while others were salvaging household items into waiting vans for possible relocation from the flood.

    One of the affected residents at the Media Village, Mr George Okoh, said the torrential floods severely hit his home.

    Okoh said, “At about 1.00 am (Wednesday), the rains came heavier and when we woke up this morning, our rooms were completely flooded.”

    “In fact, if not for some neighbours who alerted us, we would have probably drowned in the room and as you can see, the place is deserted and it is a major disaster.

    “I have evacuated my family to a higher ground, they have gone to the family house and they will be there till we find a solution to the flood.”

    At the BIPC Housing Estate, lady Kate Ijogi whose cars were submerged by flood appealed to the government to come to her aid.

    She said, “My house is completely submerged, two of my cars are completely submerged, you can see one out here and the other one is inside the compound.”

    “There was nothing I removed from my house because the water had gone up to the window level when we tried to escape. But I was able to rescue everybody in my house.

    “I’m devastated and confused and I don’t know what to do. No help is coming from anywhere, we have called NEMA and every rescue agency but nobody has responded”.

    On her part, a widow who also lives in the estate lamented the extent of damage the flood had done to the property passed onto the family by her late husband.

    She said, “Government should do something because the flood is becoming too much for us. For someone like me, a widow with five children, we do not have anywhere to stay”.

    “Our properties are still inside because, by the time they woke us up, we were unable to evacuate them. For properties like electronics, you cannot salvage them”.

     

  • JUST IN: Court orders seizure of Diezani’s 56 houses worth N2.6b

    A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the interim forfeiture of 56 houses allegedly bought for $16,441,906 (N2.6billion) by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

    Justice Abdulaziz Anka, a vacation judge, made the order following an ex parte application by a counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Anselem Ozioko.

    The EFCC, in documents filed in court, described the properties as including 29 terraced houses, 21 mixed housing units, six flats, six apartments, two maisonettes among others, in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja.

    Ozioko persuaded Justice Anka that Diezani paid $16,441,906 cash for the properties through several shell companies from the proceeds of suspected unlawful activity during her tenure as minister.

    The $16,441,906 was allegedly picked up from her house by bank officials via a pick-up service.

     

    Details later…

  • Boko Haram: One million houses, 5,000 classrooms, N1.9 trillion properties destroyed in Borno – Official

    The Borno Government on Tuesday said about 1 million houses and public structures were destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in the 27 local government areas of the state.

    The insurgents also destroyed properties worth over N1.9 trillion in the past six years.

    Yerima Saleh, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement, disclosed this at a news conference in Maiduguri.

    Saleh also said that the insurgents razed down 986, 453 residential homes; 5, 335 classrooms, 201 health facilities, 1, 630 water facilities and 726 power distribution stations and transformers.

    He added that 800 public structures such as offices, prisons, police posts and other structures were destroyed by the sect members.

    “The quantum of destruction caused by insurgents is monumental resulting in serious humanitarian crisis.

    “The damage calls for serious intervention from government, development and humanitarian organisations.

    “The destruction has rendered 22 out of the 27 local government council areas uninhabitable,” he said

    To mitigate the problem, the permanent secretary said the state government had established the ministry to facilitate rapid rehabilitation and re-settlement of ravaged communities.

    He said that the ministry had so far rebuilt and rehabilitated public and private buildings in 14 councils in the state.

    He disclosed that the state government had so far constructed about 25, 000 houses in the liberated communities.

    Mr. Saleh said that more than 10,000 houses were reconstructed in Bama, while 7,000 others were completed in Gwoza.

    He listed other projects to include classrooms, clinics, police posts, markets, slaughter slabs, roads, palaces, courts and places of worship in the liberated communities.

    “We are going into total reconstruction and rehabilitation in Bama, Dikwa and Ngala.

    “The projects have reached between 50 and 75 per cent completion in the affected areas,” he said.

    Other projects, he said, were ongoing in Mafa, Dikwa, Ngala, Damboa, Chibok, Askira Uba, Mobar, Biu and Hawul local government areas.

    The permanent secretary reiterated the commitment of the state government to provide humanitarian support services to persons displaced by the insurgency.

    “The state government is collaborating with Federal Government and development organisations to address the humanitarian crisis in the state,” he added.

     

  • Photos: Evans leads detectives to his Igando, Ejigbo dens

    Billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudubem Onwuamadike, a.k.a Evans, who was arrested, recently, by the police for coordinating several high profile kidnappings, yesterday, led police operatives to two houses in Ejigbo and Igando areas of Lagos state, where he kept some of his victims for months.

    Evans revealed during the visit to his Igando hideout, located at Green Street, that he kept five persons including Chief James Uduji and Francis Umeh at the Igando den.

    He stated that he vacated the den when people started suspecting his activities in the area.

    He further disclosed that he rented the apartment in 2014 stating that he kept Francis Umeh for five months in that apartment before he moved to the other house in Ejigbo.

    The kidnap kingpin also took detectives to another bungalow at Orisunmbare by hospital junction in Jakande estate, Lagos where he had another hideout.

    Residents of the areas where Evans operated were shocked that such a thing was happening around them without their knowledge.