Dispute Over Land

Back in 2003, Dr. Jimoh Obatoyinbo, an estate developer, bought two plots of land measuring 4,000 and 4,300 square metres respectively, in 2003, from one Alhaji Aminu Gaya. The plots were allocated to Jamillaville Limited and Gyano International Limited respectively. One of the plots was designated as a petrol station, while the other was for commercial development. But to his surprise in 2007, Obatoyinbo discovered that the plots had been occupied and were being developed at the instance of a company, Next International Limited, owned by one Ndibe Obi.

Obatoyinbo informed the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, of the development. This drew a stop work order and a notice of demolition, issued by the FCDA. But these were ignored by the Next International Limited. Obatoyinbo then took his case to the Police. In a petition dated 25 July 2008, Obatoyinbo alleged that the developers connived with some staff of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems, AGIS, led by one Emeka Elobi, a Deputy Director of Survey, to rob him of his property. Obatoyinbo claimed that when he challenged the illegal occupancy in court, Next International Limited produced documents showing it had been allocated Plot Sector Centre 2, with a size of 13,000 square metres, but went ahead to occupy the whole sector that was subdivided among seven allottees, measuring 33,370,053 square metres. According to documents obtained from the Police, the plot allocated to Next International measures 13,00 square metres, but the company had occupied 33,370.53 square metres. Obatoyinbo alleged that the document was forged in connivance with staff of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems, AGIS, and FCDA.

Investigation of Obatoyinbo’s allegations was assigned to a Police team, led by one Assistant Superintendent of Police, Yahaya Adanebi of the Special Fraud Unit, SFU. The Police invited the claimants to the property as well as Elobi and Gaya. Next International, however, failed to honour Police invitation. According to Police investigations, documents presented to the court, by Next International, were forged. In his testimony to the Police, Elobi explained that as acting director of Survey, he does not allocate plots and might not be able to state if the subdivided plot 2 has been revoked or not. He claimed that his duty is to oversee all survey works in AGIS, which include the signing of site plans and title deeds which are mostly generated by consultants. However, Gaya stated that he had been asking Elobi to issue the necessary data to enable him get the certificate for the said plot, but Elobi did not make such available. Gaya explained that he was shocked to see the data with all coordinates and benchmarks merging all four plots into one with Elobi’s signature on it in custody. He claimed that he was surprised to see with the police the data he has been asking Elobi to release to him for over one year to no avail. He also said that he observed from the document he found with the police, the allocation given to Next International Limited, dated 30 September 2007, measures about 13,000 square metres, could be for plot D and not the whole 33,000 square metres as sketched in the site plan which Next International Limited is using to lay claims to the land. Gaya also said he noticed in the document that the amount paid to the AGIS as charges is for 13,000 square metres and not for the entire 33,000 square metres alleged by Next International Limited.