Police authorities have asked the Office of Attorney-General of the Federation and Ministry of Justice to prosecute the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, “for official corruption and abuse of office”.
El-Rufai was last month declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the proceeds from the sales of Federal Government-owned houses in the FCT, although he denied any wrong-doing.
But a Police interim investigative report on alleged corrupt practices against el-Rufai while in office, signed by Commissioner of Police, Anti-Fraud Section ‘D’ Department (FCID), Abuja, Moses Anegbode, accused the former minister of corruption in the revocation and re-allocation of lands in the FCT.
Police report claimed that the investigation on el-Rufai was necessitated by a petition from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to the Inspector-General of Police, accusing the former minister of official corruption and abuse of office in the handling of land allocation to NIPOST in Maitama, which he allegedly revoked and re-allocated to one of his friends.
“From the above mentioned findings, it is obvious that Government parastatals’ lands were revoked and laundered at a premium, this pattern of abuse of office and manipulation of the Abuja land reforms by private interest is an affront to equity, justice and transparency.
“Finally, it is the suggestion of the investigation, that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in this present dispensation whose stance for zero tolerance on corruption and economic crimes as well as upholding the sanctity of rule of law, transparency and equity are well known, should use his good offices to restore the NIPOST land back to the original owner, in order to minimize the huge economic loss incurred by Rosehill group, the developer.
“Meanwhile, Mallam el-Rufai should be brought to book as nobody is above the law, by charging him to court for abuse of office, official corruption and should be made to pay appropriate compensation and restitution for the damages caused to both NIPOST and Rosehill group, the developer, please.”
NIPOST was said to have petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation when Systems Property Development Consortium (SPDC) allegedly owned by friends of the former minister continued to develop the said property in defiance of a court order stopping all construction works on the site pending the resolution of the litigation over the land ownership.
NIPOST had reportedly gone into a partnership with a developer, Rosehill, to develop the central post office designed to serve seven districts in the FCT, and wrote to the former minister for approval, while the approval granted by FCDA on July 14, 2004, was relied upon for commencement of construction work in anticipation of the ministerial consent.
The Police in their findings claimed that “while they (Rosehill) were liaising with the office of the Minister of FCT, on the 20th January, 2006, the Development control of FCDA and a company named Systems Property Development consortium SPDC jointly carried out a demolition exercise on NIPOST offices, notice board, borehole. Prior to this demolition, there was no letter of revocation of the site to NIPOST and on the 22nd February, 2006, after the demolition of the properties on the site, ministry of FCT submitted a backdated letter of revocation of the plot to NIPOST. The letter was backdated 18th October, 2005.
“Our investigation shows that the site meant for public use as a District Post Office was allocated to an individual company SPDC who shared the same office building with el-Rufai and partners; a Quantity Surveying firm owned by the former minister of FCT at No.1 Kandi close, off Aminu Kano crescent, Wuse II, Abuja.”
However, in a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday by el-Rufai’s counsel, AU Mustapha, he said: “The so-called NIPOST land in question was allocated in 1994 to exclusively build a district office within two years, which it failed to do.
“In 2005, in contravention of the grant, NIPOST signed a lease agreement with a company called Rosehill Ltd for the development of a block of flats and a hotel on the land. NIPOST and Rosehill Ltd approached the Minister for his consent to develop the hotel and blocks of flats, which he refused because it was a contravention of the grant and Abuja Master plan.
“The FCT designed an Accelerated Development Programme, ADP, which was taken to the Federal Executive Council, FEC, for approval. Approval was granted. The FCT now invited companies to apply for land under the ADP. Over a thousand companies applied, even Rosehill benefitted from the programme. The so-called NIPOST land was one of the lands allocated under the ADP. Not satisfied with the Minister’s decision on the land, NIPOST and Rosehill went to court. The matter today is pending before Justice Roseline Anenih. While this suit was going on, Rosehill was instigated to write a petition to the Attorney General from where this strange recommendation for criminal prosecution is coming from.
“We would like to say that all the actions taken by El Rufai while in office are covered by the appropriate laws appointing him. And we would also like to add that there are over 600 matters pending in FCT courts over allocation and revocation of land. So it becomes extremely curious that a party in court would be instigated to forward a petition to the Attorney General on the same subject.
“Nasir El Rufai served this country to the best of his abilities and posterity will judge him accordingly. El Rufai deserves to be honoured not to be hounded. We would also like to state that he is prepared to meet his traducers in court. El Rufai raised the bar for public service in this country. The power cabal after him should do well to surpass it rather than waste their time trying to pull him down. That is what Nigeria demands and deserves from all those in public office.”
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