The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Police Command have been urged to immediately investigate an alleged fraudulent land-grabbing scheme in River Park Estate, Abuja.
The Chief Executive Officer of Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited, Kojo Ansana Mensa, made this demand while speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja.
Mensa, a Ghanaian-American dual national, accused individuals of illegally seizing over 100 hectares of land using deceit, violence, and manipulation of official documents.
He alleged that the perpetrators falsely represented themselves as officials of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited, the company that initially funded the estate’s development.
According to him, these individuals have exploited local authorities and forged documents to claim ownership of the land, which rightfully belongs to his company.
“This is not just about my company; it’s about protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s real estate sector and ensuring a safe environment for legitimate investors,” Mensa stated.
The incident has sparked concerns about the prevalence of land-related fraud in Nigeria, with calls for stronger regulatory oversight to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
When Arogidigba Global Journal contacted the developer of River Park Estate, Paul Odili, known as Paulo, on Thursday regarding the matter, he said: “I am unaware of anything like that in the estate. If there is an issue of land grabbing, it is the court that will determine the original owner. Also, on the issue of fake land documents, it is the FCT minister who issues land documents.”
Meanwhile, as of the time of filing this report, the FCT Police public relations officer, Josephine Adeh, and the spokesperson for Wike, Lere Olayinka, had yet to respond to our correspondent’s enquiry on the matter.