RESIDENTS
of a mass housing estate in Abuja, under the aegis of Saraha Proform
Estate Residents Association, have petitioned President Goodluck
Jonathan over the planned demolition of their N160 billion estate by
authorities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In the petition signed by Oluwasegun Otta Ojo and Maureen Ibikwe, the
chairman and secretary of the association respectively and dated
January 4, 2013, the residents said they bought property at the estate
between 2009 and 2012 through one Alhaji Kabiru, the Chairman/CEO of
Saraha Homes Limited and had long completed payment and taken possession
of their houses without hindrance from anybody until recently.
“It would be important to inform you sir that at the commencement of
our transactions with Saraha Homes Limited, we demanded to see the
original allocation paper of the said plot. We were shown a copy of
letter of offer issued in the name of Proform (West Africa) Limited.
“We were also made to understand that there was a partnership
agreement between the said Proform (West Africa) Limited and Saraha
Homes Limited. A copy of the said partnership agreement was also shown
to us by the Chairman/CEO of Saraha Homes Limited. We were also shown a
copy of a letter
of authority investing power on the Chairman/CEO of Saraha Homes
Limited to manage and superintend the estate,” the letter reads in part.
The residents said searches conducted at the Abuja Geographical Information
System (AGIS) confirmed that the land was allocated in the name of
Proform (West Africa) Limited and they were subsequently issued offer
letters for their respective buildings by Saraha Homes Limited to take
possession of their various buildings.
They said they were, however, surprised when a group in the name of
Winning Clause Limited came to paste quit notices on their buildings in
November 2012 – claiming ownership of the said plot.
“Worried by the strange development, we approached the Winning Clause
Limited through Mr. P. I. N. Ikwueto (SAN), who claimed to be the
chairman of the company in his office to find out why the notices were
pasted on our buildings. We were then told that the allocation to
Proform (West Africa) Limited had been revoked and re-allocated to
Winning Clause Limited in November 2012.
“On December 3, 2012, some persons who claimed to be men from the Department of Development Control of FCDA came with bulldozers to demolish our buildings in the estate.
“According to the Winning Clause Group, the men came at its behest.
But in keeping faith with observing law and order, we reached out to the
chairman of Winning Clause Limited, Mr. P.I.N. Ikwueto (SAN), who said
to us that the only thing that could save our houses from being
demolished is if every house owner pays N15 million to Winning Clause
Limited via him.”
The petitioners also informed the President that the same Winning
Clause Limited had initiated an action against Proform (West Africa) in a
court of law over the said Plot 67, Kafe District, Abuja and in spite
of the subsisting suit in court, which has not yet been determined, the
Winning Clause Limited through its agents had sworn never to allow them
have peace and “they have consistently sent thugs to the estate to
harass and intimidate us. We are no longer sure of our safety anymore.
Our lives are in danger.”
According to them, through an earlier petition to the Director of
mass housing department of FCDA, Jibril Gambo Umar, it had been
confirmed that Winning Clause Limited never applied for mass housing land
through the Department of Mass Housing of FCDA just as no land was
allocated to it through the department as there were no records to that
effect.
In the petition which was also sent to the Minister of the FCT, the
National Assembly, the Chief of Army Staff, Inspector General of Police
and others, the residents also complained that on the morning of
Thursday, January 31, 2013, they woke up to discover that about 60 armed
soldiers with armed policemen numbering about 50, dressed in bullet
proof vests had besieged the estate, cordoned all the entrances to the
estate and made sure nobody left or came into the estate.
“The armed men threatened to shoot anybody who disobeyed them. We
were later informed that the fierce-looking armed security men were
invited to the estate by the management of Winning Clause Limited and
some senior officials of the Development Control Department with the
evil intention of pulling down over 200 already completed duplexes.
“They, however, succeeded in demolishing three in order to force us
to succumb to the huge financial demands of some questionable
characters. ”
The sight of these armed men inflicted great trauma on the residents,
which culminated in people fainting and some had instant cardiac
arrest. We have cases of home owners suffering from stroke because of
the trauma the Winning Clause Limited has inflicted on us and the
uncertainty of what may befall our houses.”
They therefore implored the President to come to their rescue by
directing the necessary authorities of the FCDA, especially the Minister
of the FCT, Bala Mohammed, to resolve the matter in their favour in
order to save them from the trauma they were undergoing in the hands of
Winning Clause Limited and the Development Control Department.
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