Reps To Probe Fraudulent Allocation Of Land Titles In FCT

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the alleged fraudulent allocation of title documents to some real estate developers before the emergence of Nyesom Wike as Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The House also urged the FCT Minister to withdraw the allocation of lands, which are subject to litigations or multiple allocations, pending the resolution of the matter.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Jonathan Gbefwi (SDP, Nasarawa) at plenary on Thursday.

Moving the motion, Gbefwi noted that before the appointment of Wike by President Bola Tinubu in August 2023, several title land documents in the FCT were issued to some real estate developers in a highly suspicious manner.

He wondered if the Director of Lands or any official of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) or Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), who issued the Right of Occupancy, purportedly in the name of the Minister of FCT at the period when the office of the Minister was vacant, has the legal right or authority to do so.

The lawmaker expressed concern that some of the lands affected were subject to litigations, which were yet to be resolved.

“We are disturbed that some of the beneficiaries of these alleged fraudulent allocations are already using them to forcibly grab disputed land which is a recipe for conflicts

“We are convinced that if the title document of any land is fraudulently issued or procured, whatever is built on it should not stand in the interest of the public,” Gbefwi noted.

Adopting the motion, the House mandated its Standing Committee on FCT to investigate all allocations of land in the name of the Minister of FCT, given within the period of January to August 2023 and report back to the House in four weeks.