Uzoma Mba
A Lagos-based civil engineer, Engr. McDonald Okwor, has accused a powerful land syndicate allegedly working with officials of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) of demolishing his multi-million-naira mansion at 6th Avenue, FESTAC Town, after he refused to pay a bribe of N262 million.
The 48-year-old engineer, who described the October 11 demolition as “the total destruction of years of labour and dreams,” said armed policemen, thugs, and individuals claiming to be FHA officials stormed his residence with bulldozers and earth-moving equipment, pulling down the structure despite an active court case over the ownership of the land.
According to Okwor, the ordeal began shortly after he moved into the property early this year. He alleged that some individuals claiming to represent FHA approached him with threats and financial demands, insisting that he must “settle” them to avoid demolition.
“The land syndicate in Festac is working hand in hand with FHA officials to exploit me,” Okwor said. “After one barrister (name withheld) led some hoodlums to arrest my workers at the site some months ago, I petitioned the AIG Zone 2 about the incident. The lawyer and his gang were invited by the police, but they never honoured the invitation till now.”
He said he had gone to the FHA office to seek clarification and was shocked to discover that some staff were allegedly involved in the harassment. “I was told by the FHA Head of Survey that they advised the lawyer and his group to arrest my workers in order to force me to come for settlement with them,” he recounted.
Hoping for peace, Okwor said he asked his lawyer to initiate dialogue. “It was then that they asked me to pay N262,200,000 as settlement otherwise they would use FHA to demolish my property. Seeing how outrageous they were, I decided to wait for the court judgment which will determine the rightful owner — FHA or the Kuje family that sold the land to me.”
He claimed that despite the ongoing court process, “the syndicate paid FHA to come and demolish, and FHA ignored the court and demolished my property without a court order.” He questioned: “Is FHA above the law? Where is their court judgment over the land that is currently in court? Where is the court order they used? Is there no longer law in Nigeria?”
Okwor further alleged that the demolition was carefully planned and preceded by suspicious surveillance. “Few hours before they started demolishing my house, neighbours saw a brown Infiniti SUV owned by a very notorious man from the Eastern part of the country parked very close to my house. The car was parked next to the Toyota Hilux truck, the same spot the Black Maria was parked when we were bundled into it. As soon as the vehicle left, the demolition squad stormed the area.”
According to him, the demolition crew not only destroyed his property but also brutalised his family and neighbours. “They broke into my neighbour’s compound, arrested his children and workers. They came back to my compound and arrested me, my wife, my elder brother, my sister and her husband. They beat us mercilessly, seized our phones, bundled us into their Black Maria truck and detained us at the Oshodi Task Force cell from Saturday afternoon till the next morning.”
Okwor explained that his second arrest came after he called electricity officials to disconnect naked power cables left exposed in the debris. “A spy called the task force, saying we had started rebuilding. They came in their numbers with about 35 armed policemen, rushed us, beat us, released tear gas, and arrested anyone they saw,” he said.
“Their claim that they were attacked is pure lies. While I was in the cell, they kept telling me to go and settle by paying the money the syndicate demanded. They forced me to write an undertaking that I would never go back to the land again. Until this cabal working with the FHA and Lagos State Task Force is dismantled, FESTAC will never have peace.”
Recounting how the issue began, Okwor said trouble started about nine months ago when a lawyer (name withheld) claimed the land was allocated to him by FHA. “The same month we moved in, my painter called me that one lawyer came with some hoodlums, vandalised my gate, arrested my workers, and took them to the FESTAC Police Station. I was told that a man claimed to be the main allottee of the land from FHA and wanted to see me. My lawyer went there and bailed the boys because I was not in Lagos then.”
“One month after that, they came to my property again and pasted a demolition notice emanating from FHA. I snapped the notice and sent it to the lawyer representing the Kuje family on the case. When the Federal High Court gave judgment in favour of the family in 2016, FHA appealed. As we speak, the matter is before the Lagos State High Court, which directed all parties to maintain the status quo until judgment is delivered.”
He continued: “I was surprised that Saturday morning when I went to play football. Around 8 a.m., I saw about 23 missed calls from my neighbours. When I returned one of the calls, they asked me to rush home, that FHA was at my property with a bulldozer to demolish my building. Before I got home, they had brought down the fence and cut my building into two. I started begging them to give me time. Even my wife was inside when they began the demolition. People were shouting, telling them someone was inside, but they didn’t listen. My furniture, electronics, machines, documents, certificates, international passport, bed, and clothes were all buried under the debris.”
He added that the following day, “over 30 policemen in six Hilux vans stormed the site as we tried to block water from entering the wreckage. They beat me, my wife, and my brother, threw us into a Black Maria, and took us to the Taskforce cell at Oshodi. They forced me to sign an undertaking not to return to the property.”
At the FHA office at 211 Road, Festac, one of the workers identified as M.M. Ayuba said, “We don’t have anything to share with you. If you have any questions, direct it to our office at Abuja.”
However, a lawyer who claimed to be working in the FHA legal department maintained that the agency followed due process. “FHA followed all legal procedures, including pasting demolition notices on the building, but the owner refused to show up. Rather, he sent people to clean up the notices,” the lawyer said.
On the allegation of bribery, he added: “He did not tell you the truth. The issue of money came up only when the original owner of the land graciously agreed to be paid in cash if he is to allow sleeping dogs lie. He discussed with the man’s lawyer who pleaded for the concession. They failed to reply after that.”
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