ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
The Bauchi State Government has explained that the house of a Member of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Abdullahi, representing Bauchi Federal Constituency, was pulled down because the sale of the property did not follow due process.
Recall that the Lawmaker had alleged that Governor, Bala Mohammed, ordered the demolition of his house for “political reasons” alleging that the governor personally went there and ordered that the house which, he claimed, was about 75 percent completed, be demolished.
But the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the governor, Mukhtar Gidado, while addressing journalists at a press conference on Monday at the Government House, Bauchi, denied the allegations.
He said that there is an existing policy of the State Government that allows, subject to the approval of the Governor, for some of its residential houses to be sold to their occupants on owner occupier basis, adding however, that government houses along Buba Yero Rood, Old GRA, Bauchi popularly referred to as Commissioners’ Quarters are exempted from this policy.
He said that the house located at No. 7, Buba Yero Road, Old GRA, was allocated to the State House of Assembly to serve as a Guest House on 23rd June, 2014.
Gidado said: “In spite of the exemption of Houses along Buba Yero Road, from the Owner-Occupier Policy of the State Government, the then Commissioner for Works, Land and Housing under the past immediate Administration, Abubakar Tatari-Ali, allocated the house to himself.
“The House was later sold to Yakubu Abdullahi, the Member representing Bauchi Local Government at the House of Representatives at the cost of N9 million.
“Despite violating the government policy exempting the house from the owner-occupier scheme, there was no record either in the treasury or Ministry of Housing to show that the amount was paid into government coffers.
“Not only that, the whole process of the purported sale of the house did not follow due process because the value of the house was not assessed by relevant government agencies and approval of the State Chief Executive was not obtained.”
According to him, following the purported sale of the House to the Lawmaker, the State House of Assembly wrote to inform the government on 28th October, 2019 about the development since the house had earlier been allocated to them to serve as Guest House.
The government formally requested Yakubu Abdullahi, he said, to provide documentary evidence of the sale of the house to him, stressing that up to this moment, he has not obliged the State Government with the documents.
“The State Judiciary had also on 17th February, 2021 wrote to inform the Government that the house was being used as a hideout by criminal elements. These criminal elements have been terrorizing the residents of the neighbouring houses.
“Upon receipt of the reports of the State House of the Assembly and the Judiciary, Government directed its relevant agencies to investigate the matter,” he said.
He added that, “In the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Hon. Yakubu Abdullahi had demolished the main building of the property and commenced construction of a new structure at the site.
“A Notice of Revocation was served on Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi on 21st and 23rd September 2021 in respect of the Certificate of Occupancy fraudulently granting him ownership of the property by the then commissioner of Works, Land and Housing, Abubakar Tatari Ali.”
Gidado said that the revocation Notice was duly acknowledged, and inspite of this, Abdullahi continued with the construction work on the site adding that consequently, the State Development Board marked the building for “Stop Work Order” on 27th September, 2021 which he flagrantly refused to comply.
He said that a Team of State Government officials led by the Secretary to the State Government went to the site on 29th September, 2021 to confirm the development.
“Upon reaching the site, the team confirmed the construction work and was confronted by one Ibrahim Ago who threatened fire and brimstone, insulted and threatened the officials,” he said.
He said that an emergency Security Committee meeting under the chairmanship of the Secretary to State Government was convened immediately to discuss the development.
In attendance, he said, were the Commissioner of Police, the Commander 33 Artillery Brigade, Director DSS, Commandant National Security and Civil Defence Corps, Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Commissioners of Land and Survey, Works and Transport and the Special Adviser on Security.
He said that the Secretary to the State Government briefed the meeting on the development as captured in the preceding paragraphs. Consequently, it was resolved as follows:
Gidado said that in compliance with the resolution of the security committee, “a team was sent by the State Government on 30th September, 2021 to demolish the illegal structure.”
Reacting on the claim by the Lawmaker that four of the security guarding the house were shot and taken to the hospital where the bullets were removed, he said: “On reaching the site, the team was confronted by thugs hired by Hon. Yakubu Abdullahi and led by the said Ibrahim Ago. The thugs fired at the team who had to withdraw to avoid casualty.”
He added that: “On 1st October, 2021, Government again lodged a complaint to the police on the presence and activities of heavily armed hoodlums at the site right behind the Government House. Later that evening the illegal structure was demolished by the State Government.”
He declared that “the government will not allow anybody, no matter how highly placed to compromise this standard” warning that “those that seek to dare the Government do so at their own peril.”
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