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FG moves to boot former Senate president out of official residence

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7 years ago

December 19, 2017

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As the EFCC digs into his alleged complicity in the $2.1 billion arms vote embezzlement in the last PDP administration, former Senate President David Mark is battling plans to throw him out of his Abuja residence.

The federal government said the property, which was the official residence of Senate presidents, was illegally acquired by Mark as private property.

The official residence is on 1.6 hectares of land at 1 Musa Usman Street, Apo Legislative Quarters, Gudu, Abuja, according to court filings the Punch obtained.

ALSO SEE: How former Senate president came under probe

A 21-day ultimatum has been issued him by chairman of the Special Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property Okoi Obono-Obla—to quit and “to show cause why the government should not enforce recovery of the property for public good”.

Mark had filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja to quash all steps taken by the panel to evict him and recover the house from him.

The acquisition was said to have been facilitated by the approval of former President Goodluck Jonathan—though the property was excluded from the government monetisation policy.

A Federal Government of Nigeria’s Official Gazette No. 82, Vol. 92 of August 15, 2005 exempted living quarters of NASS principal officers from such sale.

The property was bought for N673,200,000, in 2010 when FC ex-Minister Bala Mohammed had indicated that its open market value was N748,000,000.