EFCC, ICPC uncover fraud in FCT land administration

[MrVan]

By Caleb Ayansina

ABUJA—There was a stunning revelation, yesterday, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of ongoing scam in land administration at the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

Acting Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta, also urged Minister of FCT, Bala Muhammed, to restore sanity in land administration, saying the ongoing corrupt practices in land administration in the FCT was capable of undermining government's effort on development.

Mr. Ibrahim Lamode, EFCC boss, noted that people focused attention more on financial institutions when it comes to corruption, not knowing that there was land racketeering going on in Abuja that must be curbed, in view of the strategic importance of land to economic development.

The duo spoke at the public presentation of the report of A-Systems Study on the Federal Capital Territory Lands Administration and A Documentary on Grassroots Involvement with Budget Process, in Abuja.

Lamorde said: "A lot of fraud is being perpetrated in land administration in the FCT. No day passes by without seeing people complaining. In fact, it is the biggest scam that is going on in the Federal Capital Territory.

"It is hoped that this report will be tactically applied in the area of land administration, not only in the Federal Capital Territory but also in the whole country. Land is important to all of us. I thought it will be replicated in other parts of the country."

In his remark Nta the minister's inauguration of an 11-man committee to reposition land allocation procedure in 2010 was useless as the officials of Abuja Geographical Information System, AGIS, allegedly bend the rule, collecting kick-back from the public before any allocation is processed.

Vanguard Nigeria