July 2001 Africa News Headlines

Wednesday, July 25, 2001 - Web posted at 14:49:50 GMT

Nigeria to seize illegally acquired land

LAGOS - The Nigerian government is to confiscate landed properties illegallyacquired by past government officials, it said in a statement yesterday.

The seizure of the landed properties spread across the country follows the adoption by the presidency of the recommendation of a panel set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo early this year.

Among those to lose properties illegally acquired are two seconds-in-command in past military regimes, former lieutenant general Oladipo Diya and retired admiral Mike Akhigbe, the number twos to former military rulers Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar, respectively, the government said.

Former army chief retired lieutenant general Ishaya Bamaiyi, currently on trial for attempted murder and his former air force counterpart retired air vice marshal Nsikak Eduok are also to lose illegally acquired properties, it said.

As are former civilian ministers Lateef Jakande, Walter Ofonagoro, Alex Akinyele and Bashir Dalhatu.

However, no timetable for the land's reclamation by the state was set out and no indication of what, if any, punishment these powerful former officials would face.

Dalhatu, and some officials of the state-run power company NEPA, were last week separately banned from holding public office again after being being found guilty of under-valuing government land in Lagos and elsewhere and allocating it to themselves and their families.

The government, however, declined to say whether it would prosecute any of those found guilty of wrong-doing.

Nigeria's resources have for many years since the country's independence in 1960 been plundered by government officials and little has ever been done about it.

Last week, a former intelligence chief Ibrahim Sabo told a human rights hearing that Abubakar's regime was itself massively corrupt.

He claimed that "going by the records", Abubakar, who ran Nigeria for 11 months from June 1998, "took over power to get money."

"The government has yet to take any action against Abubakar for the alleged looting of the country's resources under his regime.

- Nampa-Sapa-AFP

•  Big Brother Africa 3: The audacity of Hazel!
•  Big Brother Africa 3: Who's your winner?