Director of Special Duties at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sagir Mohammed, is under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly selling a parcel of land in the FCT with a fake title.
Director of Special Duties at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sagir Mohammed, is under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly selling a parcel of land in the FCT with a fake title.
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Mr. Sagir allegedly sold the parcel of land to a victim, Anthony Obele, in 2002 for N6.5 million. EFCC operatives are investigating whether Mr. Sagir carried out the deceptive transaction using the business name of “Sulman and Associates.” At the time of the reported transaction, Mr. Sagir was Deputy Director at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
Mr. Obele asserts that he later discovered that the piece of land, situated at Plot 1039c, Kaura District, belonged to another company. He accused Mr. Sagir of playing hide-and-seek when he, the alleged victim, tried to reconcile the discrepancy over the title to the land. The petition by the victim accused the FCT official of using his office to procure fraudulent land titles with fictitious names, and selling the fake parcels of land to unsuspecting buyers.
Mr. Obele also told the EFCC that he discovered, to his chagrin, after contacting the Corporate Affairs Commission, that “Sulman and Associates,” the business name with which Mr. Sagir sold the piece of land to him, was a non-existent corporate entity.
In a petition to the EFCC through his lawyer, the victim of the alleged fraud stated that all promises by Mr. Sagir were not honored.
SaharaReporters learned that Mr. Sagir is at present preparing to run for the governorship of Zamfara State in the 2015 elections.
Two sources at the EFCC told Saharareporters that the commission was investigating the scam. One source added that Mr. Sagir had been interrogated, but was granted bail pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Another source disclosed that Mr. Sagir had admitted during interrogation that he sold the land to Mr. Obele. He also admitted that he promised, afterwards, to refund the sum of N6.5 million, but added that his offer was rejected by the victim who demanded a refund that is commensurate with the current value of the land. A source close to Mr. Obele stated that the victim felt it was unjust to be offered in 2013, the same amount he had paid for a parcel of land in 2002. The source insisted that the land is now worth close to one hundred million naira.
Mr. Obele has reportedly demanded that another piece of land of equivalent size and location be given to him by Mr. Sagir.
A lawyer familiar with the alleged scam told SaharaReporters that Mr. Sagir was notorious for using his office to take undue advantage of unsuspecting victims seeking to buy land. “He is one of those FCT officials who abuse their offices and prey on gullible Nigerians. And these scam artists often get away with amassing wealth for themselves,” the lawyer said. The Abuja-based lawyer added: “And to think that this man wants to become the Governor of Zamfara State shocks me. What would you expect of the state treasury?”
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