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Umahi rules out compensation for bare land owners
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has reiterated that the Federal Government does not compensate for bare lands, adding that all lands belong to the government.
He disclosed this at the inspection of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Section 1 at kilometre 18, Okun Ajah axis, recently.
He said, “Go and read the law; there is no compensation for bare land. All land belongs to the government. Hence, if you are taking what belongs to you, you do not pay compensation; it is the president that directed that anywhere we see a shanty on our corridor, we should pay compensation; it is a kind of human meekness from the president towards the people. We broke no law.
“So, where there is no infrastructure on land, they have to write to Mr. President for a direction on that.”
In an interview with The Punch, the General Secretary, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Lagos Chapter, Folusho Ogunrinde, said land was undeniably an asset whether owned by individuals, businesses, or the government.
He said, “Governments recognise the value of land as an asset and manage it as such. For instance, you cannot encroach on government-owned land for development because it is considered part of their assets.
Similarly, individuals and private entities acquire land either through inheritance, purchase, or investment. When such land is taken away, the argument that compensation should only be for developments and not the land itself is fundamentally flawed. It disregards the asset’s intrinsic value and how it was acquired.
“The 99-year lease system in Nigeria further underscores the value of land as an asset, as this lease is renewable. If governments require compensation for the renewal of a lease or when public use necessitates land acquisition, individuals and private owners deserve similar recognition and compensation for their land when expropriated.
“The law, as it stands, needs urgent redress. The idea that landowners should not be compensated for their land is, frankly, unjust and tantamount to fraud. Land is more than a physical space; it is an economic and generational asset. To deny compensation for it is to undermine the principles of equity and justice. Hence, there is a need for a review of the Land Use Act and constitutional provisions to align with the realities of land as a critical and valuable asset.”
In a similar vein, the Team Lead, Arbitration, Maritime, and Real Estate Practice Group, Stren & Blan Partners, Joseph Siyaidon, posited that non-payment of compensation on bare land was unconstitutional.
He said, “The Land Use Act is merely an existing Act and not part of the Constitution. We humbly submit that the provisions of the Land Use Act, which limit the payment of compensation for private properties compulsorily acquired by the government to only unexhausted improvements on the land, are unconstitutional in that they violate the provisions of Sections 43 & 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which extends the right of compensation to all immovable properties, bare lands included.”
Umahi disclosed that the first phase of the coastal highway will be completed by May 29, 2025.
He said, “By May 29 we are facing the commissioning, and we have directed all the comptrollers of works that, by the end of April, every comptroller of works in all the states must give us a minimum of three projects that Mr. President is going to commission.
“From Channel 0, we are going to be commissioning the first 20 kilometres; however, another 10 kilometres would be ready at the end of the project within this period, but we are not commissioning that one, it is going to be phase 2 of section 1 for commissioning. Generally, across the country, we are going to be commissioning projects in phases.”
Meanwhile, the Acting Director of Road Design, Engr. Musa Saidi, assured that the highway construction adheres to approved specifications and includes additional measures for durability. Any realignment is for public interest, safety, and economic reasons,” he said.
… PDP is going into extinction-Awwal
Ex-House of Representatives member, Hon Teejay Yusuf has insisted that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP can never go into extinction even with one serving governor.
Recall that Governor of Delta State, Hon Sheriff Oberovwori and his immediate past principal and running mate to PDP’s flag bearer, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa defected to the ruling party, All Progressives Congress APC on Wednesday.
Teejay Yusuf, a vibrant and never say die three-term lawmaker while appearing on Channels tv on Thursday morning did not mince words when he declared that the PDP will bounce back soon.
Countering this position, an APC chieftain, Hassan Awwal said the PDP was going into extinction and by 2027 may not have more than one governor.
Teejay Yusuf also rubbished this position declaring that with even just one governor, the PDP will bounce back into the mainstream.
Giving instances of parties like CPC, ACN, APGA and others that had one governor but never died.
Details shortly….
Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered 54 banks to immediately return a total of N9,329,322,870 fraudulently transferred by hackers from an unnamed old generation bank.
The judgment, delivered on April 15, 2025, follows an ex parte motion filed in suit number FHC/L/CS/629/2025.
The court directed the financial institutions to place a Post No Debit restriction on all accounts that received the stolen funds and to begin the immediate return of all available funds to the originating bank.
The plaintiff bank reported that on March 23, 2025, a breach in its core banking system resulted in unauthorised debits from multiple customer accounts.
The stolen funds—amounting to over N9.3bn—were then dispersed across accounts in 54 financial institutions.
Upon detection of the incident, the bank said it promptly alerted the institutions involved and began tracking the disbursements.
The investigation revealed that the funds were transferred in multiple tranches from the bank into primary accounts and subsequently rerouted to other accounts held by secondary and tertiary beneficiaries.
Justice Dipeolu ruled that the affected banks must provide details of the implicated accounts, including balances and amounts already transferred.
The judge further ordered the immediate return of all recoverable funds to the plaintiff bank.
The financial institutions are also to share comprehensive customer data related to the transactions, including names and destination accounts.
Restrictions are to be maintained on all accounts that received any portion of the funds until full recovery is made, limited to the amount each received.
The judge clarified that the ruling applies strictly to erroneously transferred funds and does not infringe on other customer deposits.
“For the avoidance of doubt and for clarity, the order is only in respect of funds erroneously transferred and sums salvaged,” the ruling emphasised.
Justice Dipeolu concluded that the stolen funds “belong to the plaintiff and not the customers of the respondent banks,” affirming the court’s authority to direct full restitution.
A Nigerian-born United States citizen, Oladapo Fadugba, risks 27 years imprisonment over his alleged involvement in a $690,000 wire fraud scheme and making false declarations to obtain US citizenship.
PUNCH Metro learnt this in a statement by the US Attorney for the District of Florida, Gregory Kehoe, obtained on Wednesday.
According to Kehoe, Fadugba was indicted for multiple charges, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements during his naturalisation process.
According to Kehoe, between October 2020 and July 2023, the suspect allegedly diverted $690,000 in funds belonging to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, which was meant for reimbursement to a major local healthcare provider.
It was further alleged that Fadugba used another person’s identity to facilitate the transfers into various bank accounts under his control.
The statement read, “According to the indictment, beginning on October 30, 2020, and ending no later than July 11, 2023, Fadugba had more than $690,000 of Department of Veterans Affairs funds, intended for reimbursement to a large local healthcare provider, transferred to his personal bank accounts.
“Fadugba then wrote cheques to himself or to businesses associated with him, which were subsequently transferred to other bank accounts under his control. It is alleged that he used the identification of another individual to carry out these transfers.”
In addition, Fadugba is accused of lying under oath during his US naturalisation proceedings by falsely stating that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested.
Kehoe stated that, if the suspect was convicted on all counts, he risked a maximum sentence of 27 years in the US federal prison and the forfeiture of $400,000, representing proceeds from the alleged crimes.
“The indictment further alleges that Fadugba, a naturalised US citizen from Nigeria, made a false statement under oath during his naturalisation proceedings by claiming he had not committed any offence or crime for which he had not been arrested.
“If convicted on all charges, Fadugba faces up to 27 years in federal prison. The indictment also includes a notice that the United States is seeking a forfeiture order of $400,000, which reflects the approximate proceeds of the criminal conduct charged,” the statement added.
Kehoe concluded by noting that “an indictment is merely a formal accusation of criminal conduct, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
PUNCH Metro reported on April 12 that a 24-year-old Nigerian man, Mercy Ojedeji, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents in the United States.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, the plea was entered in a US District Court in St. Louis, Missouri.
Ojedeji had admitted to fraudulently securing a student visa and gaining admission into the University of Missouri’s chemistry PhD program in Fall 2023.
He acknowledged using falsified academic transcripts, recommendation letters, a fake resume, and a fabricated English language proficiency report to obtain the visa.
Credit: PUNCH
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