Bauchi State Government has defended the demolition of a House on No. 7, Buba Yero Road, Old GRA, Bauchi belonging to a member representing Bauchi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi.
Demolition of the house generated controversy among the people of the state. While some people described it as politically motivated, others said due process was not followed in the way the lawmaker acquired the house.
Read Also: LG polls: Nasarawa CP promises adequate security
A press conference addressed by Comrade Mukhtar Mohammed Gidado, Special Adviser Media and publicity to the Governor of Bauchi State, gave the government’s position on Monday.
He said, “It has become necessary for the state government to set the record straight and disabuse the minds of the general public about any insinuation on the whole saga.
“On the 1st of October, 2021, the state government demolished an ongoing illegal construction work at the house under reference. The government’s decision to demolish the construction work was informed by the following facts:
“There is an existing policy of the state government that allows, subject to the approval of His Excellency, the Executive Governor for some of its residential houses to be sold to their occupants on owner-occupier basis.
“However, Government’s houses along Buba Yero Road, Old GRA, Bauchi, popularly referred to as Commissioners Quarters, are exempted from this policy, and the said House No. 7, Buba Yero Road, Old GRA, Bauchi was allocated to the State House of Assembly to serve as a Guest House on 23/6/2014.
“In spite of the exemption of Houses along Buba Yero Road, from the Owner-Occupier Policy of the State Government, the then Hon. Commissioner for Works, Land and Housing under the past immediate Administration in the person of Alh. Abubakar Tatari Ali allocated the house to himself using the fictitious name of one Mohammed Kabir of Danjuma Goje Street, Bauchi.
“The House was later sold to Yakubu Shehu 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.”
Gidado added that “Following the purported sale of the House to Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi, the State House of Assembly wrote to inform the Government on 28/10/2019 about the development since the house had earlier been allocated to them to serve as Guest House.
“Consequently, the Government formally requested Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi to provide documentary evidence of the sale of the house to him which 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. In the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi had demolished the main building of the property and commenced construction of a new structure at the site.”
He said 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.
“The Revocation Notice was duly acknowledged. In spite of the revocation order, Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi continued with the construction work on the site. Consequently, the State Development Board marked the building for ‘’Stop Work Order” on 27th September, 2021 which he flagrantly refused to comply with”.
He said “A Team of the State Government officials led by the Secretary to the State Government went to the site on 29/9/2021 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.
“As a result of that an emergency Security Committee meeting under the chairmanship 0f the Secretary to State Government was convened immediately to discuss the development.
“In attendance were the Commissioner of Police, the Commander 33 Artillery Brigade, Director DSS, Commandant National Security and Civil Defence Corps, Hon. Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Hon. Commissioner of Land and Survey, Hon. Commissioner of Works and Transport and the Special Adviser on Security.
“The Secretary to the State Government briefed the meeting on the development as captured in the preceding paragraphs. Consequently, it was resolved that the State Police Command should provide security back-up for the demolition exercise”.
Other decisions taken at the meeting, Gidado said, included that the Hon. Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice should provide the security chiefs in the state with the copies of the relevant documents relating to the case and to file criminal complaints against the said Ibrahim Ago.
“In compliance with the resolution of the security committee, a team was sent by the State Government on 30/9/2021 to demolish the illegal structure. On reaching the site, the team was confronted by thugs hired by Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi and led by the said Ibrahim Ago.
“The thugs fired at the team who had to withdraw to avoid casualty. 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”.
