TheNewsGuru

Tag: Property

  • Gbemi saraki backs brother in protecting father’s legacy

    Gbemi saraki backs brother in protecting father’s legacy

    Abubakar Bukola Saraki the first son of the late political icon has been at loggerheads with the current Kwara State governor, Governor AbdulRahman Abudulrazak who has been trying to revoke a piece of land Saraki’s have owned for over 40 years.

    Bukola Saraki has continued to service the old and vulnerable since the demise of his father, a tradition he continued even after he didn’t win re-election in the past 2019 election.

    On 31st of December, the world woke up to news that the current governor has sent police officers with other government officials to take over the building, they were met with heavy resistance of aged women.

    They received their usual care package from Bukola Saraki, but surprisingly, Gbemi Saraki who is in the same party with the governor and currently a serving minister and has kept quiet joined supporters of Her brother by providing bags of rice to distribute In Solidarity with her brother to protect their father’s name.

    According to sources close to the Saraki family, Gbemi was said to have been enraged by the Kwara State Government’s move to wipe out the legacy of her father.

    Recall that the latest in the onslaught by Gov Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq against the Saraki’s dynasty take over of a piece of land occupied by the Saraki family in Ilorin, the state capital. He said a new secretariat would be built on the land.

    The chief press secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaiye issued a statement, he said the land was originally meant for government secretariat and parking space of the Civil Service Clinic, but was unlawfully allocated to a private firm, Asa Investments Limited, without any record of payment to the state government.

    ‘No certificate of occupancy was issued in favour of the firm’

  • More troubles for Saraki as Kwara Govt seizes another property

    The Kwara State Government has taken over a piece of land owned by the Saraki Family in Ilorin. It will be used for a new secretariat for civil servants.

    Chief Press Secretary to Kwara Governor, Rafiu Ajakaiye announced the decision Friday.

    Ajakaiye said the land was originally meant for Government Secretariat and parking space of the Civil Service Clinic, but was unlawfully allocated to a private firm, Asa Investments Limited, without any record of payment to the state government.

    Part of the land, situated beside the Civil Service Clinic, is also right in front of late Dr Olusola Saraki’s residence.

    The senior Saraki built a house and named it ‘Ile Arugbo’ (elderly peoples’ home).

    According to the statement, no certificate of occupancy was issued in favour of Asa Investments Limited.

    The statement explained that the government has now made provisions for the secretariat in the 2020 budget, although its construction will spill over to 2021.

    “Hundreds of civil servants still operate from rented apartments at a huge cost to the government.

    “The new secretariat, once completed in 2021, will definitely go a long way to end this unhealthy trend as well as provide a more conducive and decent working environment for government workers,” the statement added.

    Ajakaiye added that Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has signed an instrument withdrawing the allocation of plots of land 1, 3 and 5 to the firm.

    He said that the said land was unlawfully appropriated contrary to the purpose for which it was meant.

    The spokesman added that the governor’s decision followed a resolution of the State House of Assembly urging him to reclaim the land because it was arbitrarily taken over in the 1990s without any evidence of payment by the company, even though the land was meant for public use.

    The governor noted in the revocation order that the land was originally meant for the construction of another phase of the Kwara State Civil Service Secretariat and a parking space for both the civil service clinic and the secretariat.

    The revocation order read: “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) 1999 and Section 1 and 28 of the Land Use Act Cap. L.5 of 2004 and all other powers enabling me in that behalf, I, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Governor of Kwara State of Nigeria, give the following notice:

    “The Notice may be cited as the Land Use (Revocation of Right of Occupancy and withdrawal of allocation) Notice, 2019.

    “Allocation of plots of land 1, 3 and 5 TPS/MISC 129 to Asa Investment (Nig) Ltd. which is meant for the Kwara State Secretariat.

    “The land, specifically and more described in survey No. KwSH 927 and Land/G1071 situated and lying beside Civil Service Clinic on Ilofa Road Ilorin, Kwara State, is hereby revoked and withdrawn for overriding public interest for use of the purpose it is originally meant for:

    “The construction of Kwara State Secretariat; parking space for civil service clinic and the Kwara State Secretariat and annex to the Civil Service when upgraded to a hospital.

    “That the plots allocated are hereby declared void. Notice is therefore given to you, Asa Investments Nigeria Limited, that the plots of land 1, 3 and 5 TPS/MISC 129 allocated to you and any title on the land whatsoever are hereby revoked and the allocation is withdrawn for overriding public interest,” it read in part.

  • Four tenants allegedly exhume landlord’s corpse, sell his property

    Four tenants, who allegedly exhumed the corpse of their landlord before selling his property, were on Monday brought in a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

    The three accused men and a woman are – Silifatu Abisile, 60; Jimoh Abisile, 52; Gbade Bakare, 56; and Isaiah Bakare, 45.

    The accused are facing a five-count charge of conspiracy, kidnapping, breach of peace, forgery and false assumption of authority.

    The police prosecutor, Williams Ologun, told the court that the accused committed the offences on November 1 at Ishola Daniel str., in Oshodi area of Lagos.

    Mr Ologun alleged that the accused had conspired to illegally sell the house they were living in, which did not belong to them.

    He said that a prospective buyer had insisted they relocated the grave that was in front of the house before he would make payments.

    “My Lord, they forged an exhumation of corpse permit from Oshodi -Isolo Local Government and dug the corpse of the house owner, Sumonu Bakare, who was buried in the compound.

    “They also kidnapped the only son of the deceased; Gbenro Bakare, who is crippled, thinking he was the only surviving child of the deceased,” he said.

    Mr Ologun said that the first and second accused’ were relations of the deceased, while the third and fourth accused were long time tenants on the property.

    He said that the third and fourth accused had registered for change of name to ‘Bakare’, which was not their real names, claiming to be the children of the deceased.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the offences contravened Sections76 (1) [c], 168 (1) [d], 271 (1), 365 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    The chief magistrate, Peter Ojo, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.

    In his ruling, Mr Ojo insisted that one of each accused sureties must be a blood relation and must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction.

    He said each of the sureties must also show evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government and be gainfully employed.

    Mr Ojo adjourned the case until January 10 for trial.

  • Court grants interim forfeiture of Patience Jonathan’s property

    A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, granted an interim forfeiture order of a property belonging to the former first lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan.

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, who granted the order, held that it was to enable the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) investigate the acquisition of Ariwabai Aruera Reachout Foundation, a property liked to Mrs Jonathan.

    Dimba, however, held that the order would elapse after 45 days.

    The EFCC had filed an exparte motion seeking temporary forfeiture of some properties allegedly belonging to Ariwabai Aruera Reachout Foundation.

    The properties are said to be located at plot 1758, Cadastral Zone, B06 Mabushi and Plot No.1350, Cadastral Zone, Central Business District, Abuja.

    The anti-graft agency also asked the court for an order stopping any disposal, conveyance, mortgage, lease, sale or alienation or otherwise of the properties.

    “An order authorizing the EFCC to appoint competent person(s)/firm to manage the asset/property listed in the schedule herein, temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government pending the conclusion of investigation.”

    The agency said application was predicated on the fact that the property was a subject matter of investigation, inquiry and examination.

    The judge in his ruling on the exparte motion, granted the EFCC a 45-day of grace period within which to investigate whether the property was acquired by Jonathan with proceeds of crime.

    “I have carefully considered the processes filed. I have also carefully considered the arguments.

    “Accordingly, a period of 45 days is accorded to the EFCC to investigate whether the properties in question were acquired with the proceeds of crime.”

    The judge also dismissed the motion challenging the originating summons.

    Mrs Jonathan’s counsel, Mr Mike Ozekhome (SAN), in his reaction to the court’s ruling, said it was a well considered judgment.

    “We did not lose; we won,’’ he said.

    “What the EFCC wanted was for the property in dispute to be attached and forfeited to the government but the court refused, instead, gave them 45 days to further investigate and prosecute if they so wish with liberty to apply for renewal,” he said.

  • Court adjourns pre-trial conference over Ojukwu’s property dispute to May 7

    An Awka High Court on Monday adjourned until May 7, the pre-trial conference in the sharing of late Sir Louis Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s estate.

    The Judge, Justice Dennis Mmaduechesi, adjourned the case, following the failure of Counsel to the first defendant, Mr Okwuchukwu Ugolo (SAN), to comply with the court rules with respect to change in counsel.

    The court also observed that the earlier order of hearing notice on the third defendant, Amb. Bianca Ojukwu, was not properly served.

    It further noted that the fourth defendant, the Probate Registrar of Awka High Court, was similarly, not served at all.

    Mmaduechesi, therefore, adjourned until May 7, for pre-trial conference to enable parties to put their houses in order.

    The first defendant, Dr Joseph Ojukwu, was formerly represented by Mr Gerald Ezeuko (SAN).

    Mr Ebuka Ogwu and Mr Christopher Ezeoka entered appearance for the second defendant, Mr Lotanna Ojukwu, and the fifth defendant, Ojukwu Transport Company, respectively.

    When the matter was called up on Monday, Mr Chuka Osianatogu, Counsel to Chukwuma Ojukwu and Ikemefuna Ojukwu, pointed out the mix up in the appearance to the court.

    Osianatogu told court that Ugolo had not complied with Order 48 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) rule to warrant him to appear in the case as counsel.

    Ugolo in his response said he would file processes to put their house in order and applied for adjournment to enable him to comply and also file pre-trial conference.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who died in 1966, was the father of late Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, the founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, who led Biafra’s secession bid in the late 1960s.

    Ikemefuna Ojukwu and his brother, Chukwuma Ojukwu, had instituted the suit in 2014, against Joseph Ojukwu, Dr Ike Ojukwu, Bianca Ojukwu and Lotenna Ojukwu.

    The plaintiffs, among other reliefs, are seeking that they are entitled to 25 per cent of the share in the compound of their father at No. 73, Owerri Road, Nnewi.

    “A declaration that the plaintiffs are entitled to 25 per cent shares of their father’s company, Ojukwu Transport Company.”

    They also sought an order of the court, compelling the defendants to account to them the management of Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s property over the years.

    The duo further asked the court to grant an order for the will of Odumegwu-Ojukwu to be resealed.

  • UK probes €15 million undeclared property linked to Saraki

    Transparency International UK has listed two London houses suspected to be owned by Nigeria’s Senate President, Bukola Saraki for investigation under Britain’s new law, Unexplained Wealth Orders, which became effective from January 31.

    According to TI, Land Registry documents show that the houses at 7 and 8 Whittaker Street, Belgravia, London are owned by Landfield International Developments Limited and Renocon Property Development Limited.

    Based on current market estimates by Zoopla, the properties are worth a combined total of around £15 million.

    According to data released by Premium Times as part of the Panama Papers revelations, these companies were controlled by Toyin Saraki, the wife of the President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, as well as one of his personal aides.

    At the time of these revelations, none of these offshore holdings were reported in Mr. Saraki’s official asset declarations.

    Previous public disclosures by Saraki have indicated he has high levels of unexplained wealth, Transparency International said.

    In 2003, his asset declaration showed he had amassed tens of millions of pounds worth of assets during his time as director of Société Générale Bank and Special Assistant to the President on Budget.

    The explanation he provided for these acquisitions was stated simply as “business”.

    Mr. Saraki is involved in an ongoing court case around allegations of false asset declarations from his tenure as Governor of Kwara state.

    Other assets listed for probe by Transparency International include a £18m property at Kenwood Gate, Hampstead, owned by the First Family of Azerbaijan, Flats 138A and 138B at 4 Whitehall Court, London, linked with Igor Shuvalov, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister. The flats are valued at £11.4million.

    There are also a £1m property in Guildford linked with Ahmed Mahmoud Azwai, former Libyan Major General and two apartments at Park Lane, said to be owned by former Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.

    Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) are a new investigative power designed to help law enforcement act on corrupt assets.

    The Orders, Transparency said, are particularly useful where there is no realistic prospect of cooperation or conviction in the country of origin, but there are sufficient grounds for suspicion that an asset has been acquired with the proceeds of corruption.

    After an application from an enforcement authority[1], a high court judge can give notice of a UWO only if she is satisfied that the respondent is likely to be the owner of suspicious wealth beyond his means, and if all of the following tests are met:

    * The respondent is a Politically Exposed Person[2] (PEP) outside of the EEA; or there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the respondent is or has been involved in serious crime

    *The respondent’s known income is insufficient to obtain the asset

    *The value of the asset is greater than £50,000

    The UWO requires the respondent to explain how he lawfully acquired his assets. If he fails to respond or gives an inadequate response then this extra information can be used in a separate civil recovery process (an existing measure under the Proceeds of Crime Act) if law enforcement has gathered sufficient evidence.

    The U.K. estimates that around £90 billion ($127 billion, 102 billion euros) of illegal funds are laundered through Britain every year and this includes money stolen from the Nigerian treasury.

    Now officials will use the new Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs), which came into effect this week, to seize suspicious assets and hold them until they have been properly accounted for, Ben Wallace, Security and Economic Crime Minister told The Times newspaper on Saturday.

     

  • Court orders investigation into demolition of Patience Jonathan’s property

    The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday directed an inquiry into the alleged demolition of a property in Abuja linked to the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Patience Jonathan.

    The Development Control Department of the Federal Capital Territory Administration reportedly demolished the property last week Tuesday.

    But the property is said to be a subject of forfeiture proceedings initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba on Monday adjourned the proceedings to enable parties to the suit to report back to the court on the alleged demolition.

    The judge requested a report on the issue following the complaint by Patience’s counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who said a property owned by a non-governmental organisation, A. Aruera Reachout Foundation/Women For Change and Development Initiative, the ex-First Lady’s pet project, had been demolished by an agency of the government.

    But Justice Dimgba said the court could not act without first ascertaining whether or not the property in question had been destroyed.

    “I will adjourn for the claim that the property has been demolished to be ascertained to enable the court to know what proper steps should be taken,” Justice Dimgba said.

    He adjourned till February 26 for the report of the probe and possible hearing of the applications filed by parties.

    The EFCC had filed an ex-parte application before the court for temporary forfeiture of the same property.

    Ozekhome, acting for the Registered Trustees of Aruera Foundation, had filed an objection to the motion.

    Earlier, during the Monday’s proceedings, Ozekhome told the court that the property which EFCC was seeking its forfeiture to the government had been demolished by an agency of the government.

    He did not mention which particular government agency was responsible but expressed concern that the government had resorted to self-help instead of allowing the court to resolve issues before the court.

    He flaunted some envelopes, which he said contained video recordings and pictures of the demolition.

    He also produced some newspapers, which he said contained reports of the demolition.

    When asked by the judge, EFCC’s counsel, Mr. Benjamin Manji, denied knowledge of the demolition.

    Manji said EFCC was not aware of the development.

    He added, “Our mandate is clear, it does not include demolition. We need to confirm if the property is still in existence before we can proceed with our application for temporary forfeiture.”

    Ozekhome agreed that the state of the property be ascertained first before further steps could be taken on the case.

    He said he would file an affidavit for the formal presentation of the video recording, pictures and newspaper publications of the demolition before the court.

    The judge adjourned until February 26.

  • Ex-Senate President, David Mark may lose property worth N748m to FG

    There are strong indications that former Senate President, David Mark, may lose a property valued at N748,000,000 to the Federal Government. The asset according to the government was illegally acquired.

    In September this year, the Federal government, through the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, which is chaired by Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, gave the former Senate President a 21-day notice to quit the mansion.

    The notice to quit, however, asked Mark to “show cause” why the Federal Government should not “enforce the recovery of the property for public good.”

    But Mark had quickly filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja to quash all steps taken by the panel to evict him and recover the house from him.

    The case has not been heard.

    Yesterday, copies of documents, including exhibits, filed by the former Senate President in his suit challenging the recovery process was made available to the media.

    The Senate President’s official residence is sited on 1.6 hectares of land at 1 Musa Usman Street, (also known as No. 1 Chuba Okadigbo Street), Apo Legislative Quarters, Gudu, Abuja.

    According to title documents, the property comprises eight structures, made up of the main house, ADC/chief security detail’s house, guest chalet, security/generator house, boys quarters, security post, driver/servants’ quarters and chapel.

    The eight structures are said to be properly spaced and linked with well-paved drive and walkways and further done with lawns.

    Mark, the senator, currently representing Benue South in the National Assembly, is accused of illegally acquiring the property with the approval of former President Goodluck Jonathan despite that such property was excluded from the monetisation policy of the Federal Government.

    Copies of correspondences and other documents, leading to the purchase and eventual handover of the property to Mark in April, 2011, showed that the serving senator purchased the property at a “reserved price” of N673,200,000.

     

    Meanwhile, in his letter, dated October 28, 2010, seeking the then President Jonathan’s approval for the sale of the property, the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Bala Mohammed, had indicated that the open market value of the property was N748,000,000.

  • Court adjourns hearing on Diezani’s $4.760m property forfeiture case till February

    The hearing of an application to forfeit two penthouses valued at $4.760m allegedly belonging to former Petroleum Resources Minister Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke was stalled at the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday.

    Neither the applicant, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), nor the respondents were represented when the case called for hearing before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun.

    A new date, February 12 next year, has been fixed for the hearing.

    The court, on December 5, ordered the temporary forfeiture of Penthouse 21, Building 5, Block C, 11th floor (Bella Vista Estate) Banana Island, Ikoyi, and Penthouse 22, Block B (Admiralty Estate) also in Ikoyi, Lagos.

    EFCC said the properties were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with “proceeds or crime”.

    Mrs Alison-Madueke, Donald Amangbo, Schillenburg LLC and Sequoyah Property Limited are the respondents.

    The commission said the companies in whose names the companies were acquired belong to the former minister.

    An investigator, Abdulrasheed Bawa, who deposed to a supporting affidavit to the ex-parte motion, said sometime in 2016, a search warrant was executed at Amangbo’s premises.

    He said Amangbo was “an acquaintance of former Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Alison Madueke.”

    The investigator said one of the documents recovered from Amamgbo led the operatives to the Deputy Managing Director YF Construction Development and Real Estate Limited, Mr. Fadi Basbous.

    The deponent said Basbous made a statement where he stated that the two properties were sold at $3.570million and $1.194 million and are owned by Sequoyah Properties Limited and Schillenburg LLC.

    Bawa said the properties were paid for by Mrs Angela Jide-Jones and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited.

    According to him, Mrs Jide-Jone was married to Mrs Alison-Madueke’s associate, Jide Omokore, who registered and promoted Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept.

    The EFCC investigator said Omokore paid for the properties through his wife, Angela.

    According to the operative, Omokore allegedly directed the developer (seller) to sign the agreements with Schillenburg LLC and Sequoyah Properties.

    The deponent said Schillenburg LLC was registered in Hongkong and was transferred on March 30, 2012, to Amamgbo as sole owner.

    According to the EFCC investigator, Amamgbo stated in his statement that he incorporated Schillenburg LLC and handed it over to Mrs. Alison-Madueke “for a transaction”.

    The deponent added that Sequoyah Properties “is among 18 companies registered by Donald Chid Amangbo for holding the properties of Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke”.

  • 13 killed, N623m property destroyed in 268 fire incidents in 2016 – official

    Thirteen lives and property worth N625 million were destroyed in 268 fire incidents in Plateau last year, according to Mr. Michael Dung, Director, Plateau State Fire Service.

    Dung told the newsmen on Tuesday in Jos that the service was able to rescue seven lives and property worth N4.2 billion during the period.

    He said that 213 residential houses and 45 commercial places were gutted down during the period, and revealed that the highest number of incidents happened during the Harmattan period usually seen by fire service workers as the “fire season”.

    “Usually, during the Harmattan season, we experience a lot of fire outbreaks; this is associated with the weather that is very windy and dry.

    “From our experiences, any little spark can be fanned by the wind into an inferno if not immediately attended to,” he said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that other factors responsible for fire outbreaks include the usage of hot coals to warm rooms.

    “When a spark from the coal touches the mattress or blanket, it leads to fire outbreaks.

    “Power surge also lead to fire outbreaks, especially in our society where people tend to forget to turn off their electrical appliances before leaving home or going to bed,” he further explained.

    Dung regretted that some victims had often refused to invite the Fire Service when in trouble because of the wrong assumption that the servcies were always paid for.

    “In a bid to avoid paying such fee, they try to control the fire and only alert us when they can no salvage the situation,” he said.

    He said that the services `ẁere absolutely free”, and urged members of the public to be quick to alert his office to ensure quick response that would reduce the damage.