Land Scams, The Biggest Scams in The FCT, EFCC’s Lamorde Says

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 Ibrahim Lamorde

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, today decried fraudulent dealings in land acquisition in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and he described land scams in the area as “the biggest scam in the FCT.”
 Mr. Lamorde was speaking at the public presentation of a United Nations Development Programme-sponsored report of a “Systems Study on the Federal Capital Territory Land Administration and Documentary on Grassroots Involvement with Budget Process in Abuja”
He commended the study, stressing that such a report should be expanded and applied not only in the FCTA but across Nigeria.
“For some of us in the law enforcement regime in this country, if there are areas that have become interesting to visit and where fraud is being perpetuated, it is land administration in the FCT,” he said.  “It is in the FCT that people brandish supposed originals of Certificate of Occupancy of plots of land and other people still come and contest it with the original Certificate.”
Describing land scams in the FCT as the biggest scams in the FCT, he explained that in view of the fact that land is very important to us in Africa, he hoped we can move forward positively from this study and replicate it in other parts of the country.
 Also speaking at the event, the Acting Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, Hon. Ekpo Nta, affirmed the importance of land to in the private lives of Nigerians, and in national development, noting that the high propensity for corrupt practices in land administration, if left unchecked, can lead to frustrations, demolitions, civil strife and deaths.
“The choice of land Administration in the FCT as an area of interest, was unavoidable,” Mr. Nta said.  “We are delighted that the study was embraced by all levels at the FCT administration because they are interested in running corrupt- free land administration system so that they can work in peace and safety.”
The Minister of the FCT, Bala Mohammed, who was represented by Engr. Anthony Ozodinobi, the Permanent Secretary of the FCT, applauded the ICPC for initiating the systems study and highlighting the issues and challenges of land administration.
The Minister pledged that the Federal Capital Territory Administration will work actively to improve and remove bottlenecks within the system and take a closer look at the overlaps and capacity deficiencies which will lead to improved service delivery.
Land scams have been going on in the FCT for a long time, with top officials of the government often the culprits, although they are never embarrassed or prosecuted by any of the anti-corruption bodies. 
In its report of November 30, 2003, the EFCC highlighted a successful investigation which revealed that several top Nigerians, including the current Secretary to the Government of the Federation and then Senate President, Mr. Anyim Pius Anyim, had been involved in a scam involving an FCDA employee, Mr. Success Amuchie, widely-known as “Engineer Success.”
According to the report, Mr. Anyim had bought at least three plots of land through Engineer Success, one of which he sold to the then Edo State Governor, Mr. Lucky Igbinedion, who was acquiring land to develop a personal estate.  Others involved in the scam included a former FCT Minister, Mohammed Abba-Gana; the then Deputy Leader of the Senate, Jonathan Zwingina; a former political adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chukwuemeka Ezeife; and a former Borno State Governor, Maina Maaji Lawan.
On May 1, 2008, in his testimony before the Senate Committee on FCT and Housing which was investigating the sale of Federal Government houses and other related matters, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Nasir el-Rufai, explained that his administration demolished many such properties that were built on illegally-acquired land, including those acquired through Engineer Success by powerful members of the government.
Mr. Anyim’s mansion in Asokoro District was one of those that had been demolished.  Mr. El-Rufai told the Senate Committee that Senator Anyim had been advised not to proceed with building on one of the plots he had acquired while the matter was under investigation but he neglected that advice.  Not only had the documents been forged, the former Minister explained, but even the Development Control approval was also forged.
According to Mr. El-Rufai, Engineer Success was at that time, four years ago, “being prosecuted” by the EFCC.  It is unclear at this point if Mr. Lamorde knows in what jail Mr. Success or any of those involved in that scam are paying their debt to the cause of  justice.