Real fraud in Kano’s real estate business

The business of real estate in the city of Kano has continued to flourish as demands for accommodation increases. With the population increasing with time, so have a lot of people ventured into the business including incompetent hands that could be fraudulent if one is not careful. The desire to get things cheap may also […]

The business of real estate in the city of Kano has continued to flourish as demands for accommodation increases. With the population increasing with time, so have a lot of people ventured into the business including incompetent hands that could be fraudulent if one is not careful. The desire to get things cheap may also lure people into the trap of this unscrupulous people.

It is now becoming a common sight on the walls of houses and fenced plots, the warning “beware of 419 or this house is not for sale”. To make people understand the real owner, the telephone numbers of the real owner are inscribed.

This according to an estate agent, Sagiru Abdullahi, is necessitated by the fact that many have been duped huge sums of money in that way by selling them property belonging to others, He faulted the system of land tenure which is still very traditional in many places especially in the outskirts of the city.

He recalled an instance where two fraudsters were caught trying to sell a passageway between two plots of land to a man, and were handed over to the police for investigations.

These people can pose as good people who are smart at convincing the buyer with words according to Sagiru Abdullahi and when one falls prey, they might have escaped into thin air, he said.

Ashiru Sabo said he was almost a victim in an incident at Na’ibawa quarters when an elderly looking man who appeared responsible tried selling a house to his boss, and he was the link not knowing that the house did not belong to the man. He explained that at a certain police station, the man was found to be in possession of fake documents and even counterfeit money.

Sabo said he now has to investigate the person he deals with as he is not sure if another   good looking man would be like the other one. He believes that some of these people even go to the extent of using some kind of charm to outsmart their victims, adding that only prayers can save one from these people.

However Architect Muhammad Umar is of the view that many owners of such properties are not so keen on developing them hence giving the room for the fraudsters to operate. He said there are laws governing the allocation of land by authorities and there are stipulated time in which such allocated lands are expected to be developed.

“If these laws which may differ from one state to the other are strictly adhered to from the beginning, then I think the issue would have been minimized,” he said.

However, this is not only the way out in the views of Barrister Adamu   Muktar who says that the enforcement of   laws governing the real estate business, which was neglected, caused all the loopholes. He said the agency responsible for urban planning and protection gave the room for such atrocities.

He said that there should be effective monitoring of those involved in the business to fish out the bad eggs amongst those who are sincere and willing to operate the business in a clean manner.  His views were corroborated by that of Alan Osakwe who also is an agent and who feels that there should be stricter laws as to the individuals who operate as estate agents, while the police should of establish a special unit for the fake estate agents, as it is embarrassing to see houses and buildings painted with all sort of warnings for the people to observe.

The challenges facing the lucrative business of real estate in the growing commercial city needs to be addressed by the government and the professionals themselves, so that quack and fraudsters will not be able to penetrate and  prevent investors from keeping the business aloft.

What the prospective buyers and or tenants will continue to cope with in the meantime is the fear of falling into the hands of 419 operator or fake agents as they are known to be called.

Although there is according to Sagiru Abdullah, several efforts to consolidate the union of estate agents in the state not many would want to register with the union even if they are operating a legal business. He says there is need to enlighten the people on the importance of being registered for a profession.

“This will curb the menace if we can identify eachother easily, but in the present situation we are all doing the business without regulation and nobody seems to care,” he said.