Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor, a prominent Niger Delta leader, has accused the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, of land grabbing, urging President Bola Tinubu to investigate the allegations.
The accusation follows the confiscation of property belonging to the late Col. Paul Ogbebor, Lori-Ogbebor’s late husband, by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), led by Wike.
According to Lori-Ogbebor, the land in question was legally acquired by her husband through his company, Paulson Nigeria Limited, which worked on the sewage system of Abuja when it became the Federal Capital Territory.
At that time, the land had no structures, and landowners were issued temporary title certificates.
Despite efforts to obtain a certificate of occupancy, including a payment of N10 million to the FCTA, Lori-Ogbebor claimed that the property was targeted after Wike’s appointment as FCT minister.
In November, the FCTA issued a quit notice to the property owners, alleging they were occupying the land illegally.
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Lori-Ogbebor further alleged that the land is now being claimed by a company connected to Hon. Kingsley Chinda, a three-term House of Representatives member from Obio/Akpor Constituency and a political ally of Wike.
She accused Chinda of acting as a proxy for Wike in the land acquisition, citing her investigation into documents from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) that link the company to Chinda.
Speaking in an interview on Arise News, Lori-Ogbebor called the move a land-grabbing scheme and demanded a full investigation by the president into Wike’s role.