The discovery of 189 fake companies as accomplices in land racketeering in Abuja has introduced a new twist to the unfolding sharp practices in land administration in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Yesterday, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) through its Registrar-General (RG), Hussain Magaji, said 189 non-existing companies have been used to secure land allocation in the FCT.
He spoke on a day the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, vowed to step on toes in the collection of ground rents from defaulting property owners.
The RG said at news conference in Abuja that the discovery followed a request from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for information on the status of a non-existing firm that applied for allocation.
According to him, the discovery of the non-existing company prompted the CAC to investigate the matter, a step which he said, revealed the existent of a racket involving inter-agency compromise.
He said: “Two suspects, including a lawyer, have been apprehended and a cartel involving staff of Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS), lawyers, and the commission have been identified.
“Let me use this opportunity to inform the public that one of the major milestones achieved so far since I assumed office is our ability to bust a cartel or a link of individuals that are creating havoc for the commission.
This cartel creates companies through collaboration with some lawyers claiming to be accredited agents of the commission and staff of AGIS to secure land allocations in the FCT and we only knew this crime after a complaint from the FCTA, asking us to verify some applications made by some entities, which turned out to be non-existent on our system.
