Journalist accuses property agent, police of harassment over land
An Abuja-based journalist, Abdussalam Ibrahim Ahmad, has accused the police in the FCT of involvement in an alleged bid to take over his property by a property agent. In a complaint lodged before a Niger State High Court in Suleja, Ahmad accused the agent, one Muhammad Tukur, of unlawful trespass to his landed property located […]
An Abuja-based journalist, Abdussalam Ibrahim Ahmad, has accused the police in the FCT of involvement in an alleged bid to take over his property by a property agent.
In a complaint lodged before a Niger State High Court in Suleja, Ahmad accused the agent, one Muhammad Tukur, of unlawful trespass to his landed property located in Dakwa town in Tafa Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State.
He said despite having acquired the land legally, through a transaction with its original owner sometime in 2018 with a fully certified customary document from the Tafa LGA, the agent approached him five years ago with a claim that the land belonged to him for over 20 years, and subsequently demanded him to stop the development process on it.
In the suit brought by his lawyer, Douglas Najime Esq, the journalist is asking the court to make an order restraining the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, the Area Commander in the Kubwa Area Command, Abuja and the Attorney-General of the Federation “from further invitation, threat of arrest and detention, harassment/intimidation” against him over the civil matter on ownership/title to land – Plot No. 24 Block C, measuring about 531.50 square metres.
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Ahmad is demanding the sum of N50 million as damages for the illegal and unlawful arrest and detention, un-dignifying and degrading treatment, invitation, threat of arrest, harassment and intimidation, and the psychological trauma/battering suffered as a result of the illicit acts/activities of the officers.
Others joined as defendants in the case are Abu Ango, Blessing Iliya, Mohammed Tukur and Faruk Dahiru.
Speaking with Daily Trust on the matter, Ahmad said since he filed the case, the police and the other respondents have not filed a response or given feedback regarding what they were accused of, despite being duly notified.
But when contacted, the agent in the contention, Muhammad Tukur, denied having any information about the court summons, either in person or through substituted service.
He, however, informed our reporter that somebody, who claimed to be a court official, called him sometime and informed him about a summon letter from a Suleja court.
“I insisted on meeting with him in person on two occasions, which was not successful, as the person kept avoiding meeting me,” he said.
Speaking about the land, Tukur claimed to have been allocated the land over a decade ago through the land department of the FCDA.
“I discovered that work had commenced on the land up to the foundation level, and all subsequent attempts to identify those behind the work were not successful, as such work usually took place at odd hours,” he alleged.
Our reporter also visited the Kubwa Police Area Command over the matter, where two officials handling the case confirmed its existence.
One of the officials said the matter had been referred to the National Boundary Commission seeking for their interpretation on where the said land is located between the Niger State and the FCT.
Speaking about the court invitation, the police official maintained that they can only report to any court outside the FCT if a summon letter was lodged through their command, with a clearance from to honour such invitation.
Daily Trust reports that there are rampant cases of land dispute in Dakwa town that border on double allocations, with two parties usually claiming to have been granted allocation from both states.