Leadership (Abuja)
Catherine Agbo
17 August 2009
Abuja — More persons were yesterday ejected from their residences by officials of the adhoc committee on the sale of government houses in Abuja.
One of the houses visited was the block 3 (3a) Flat 2, Eleme close residence of a lawyer, Abdul Bello, whose property were left on the street by the officials. His 13 year old son, Abdurrahman Bello who was seen in tears was the only one at home at the time of the eviction.
Speaking on the exercise, Assistant Director Special duties and officer in charge of the sale of the houses, Mallam Mohammed Bawa told news men that the exercise was intended to ensure that house owners who had bought the houses would take over the houses from those who were occupying them presently.
He said "it is not fair that some people paid for houses and are paying rent elsewhere because people who did not pay anything are occupying those houses. We will evacuate the illegal occupants and handover the houses to their owners".
Bawa also disclosed that the Senate committee on FCT during its public hearing last year had directed that all civil servants living in the houses should come forward with their complaints and claims if any and pay for the houses. He said they were given concessions and waivers by the committee to pay for the houses but had failed to do so they have to be ejected.
The committee on sale of government houses had in a similar exercise last Friday evicted a former chief accountant of the NNPC and former sub lieutenant in the Nigerian Navy, Mr. Emmanuel Ebuade Okhumale from his Block SA 16 flat 2 residence at the NNPC housing estate in area 11. Okhumale who spoke through his counsel Barr Daniel Ebune said he had met all the requirements and applied to buy the house but instead received a notice to quit. He said he had gone to court and got an injunction by Hon. Justice M.G Umar, restraining eviction, a directive the eviction team had flouted.
On the legality of the action, Bawa maintained that all evictees in the over 400 affected houses had been given the usual 30 days notice to quit which had long expired, and also stressed that the exercise would be continuous until all affected houses are rid of illegal occupants.
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