By Soni Daniel, Abuja

Amid tension and confusion over the siege laid by soldiers from the Nigerian Army to the Maitama Extension District, with over 400 on-going and completed houses belonging to Nigerians trapped, the Senate has served notice it will wade into the issue.

Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai

The Chairman of the Senate Committee Chairman on the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Dino Melaye, confirmed the decision of the upper chamber to investigate the matter in a response to Sunday Vanguard enquiry at the weekend.

“We will summon all concerned and find out the truth. But let it be made clear that justice will be done to all the parties,” Dino said but did not provide further details.

However, Sunday Vanguard gathered that the leadership of the Senate might be gearing up for a confrontation with the Nigerian Army for allegedly seizing the land on which its President’s official quarters and those of its deputy, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and other key officials of the National Assembly are being erected.

It was learnt that as soon as the senators resume from vacation this week, they were likely to summon the Chief of the Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai; the FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello; the Director of the Abuja Geographical Information Systems and officials of Kakatar Civil Engineering Construction (KCE) Limited, handling the provision of engineering infrastructure at the 230-hectare land.

Also to be summoned are former FCT Minister and former Kebbi State Governor, Adamu Aliero, now a senator, who actually created the disputed district and allocated plots to Nigerians while he served as minister under late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and his successor.

It was also learnt that immediate past FCT Minister, Senator Bala Muhammad, who extended the disputed district and awarded the contract for the provision of infrastructure to the indigenous civil engineering firm under President Goodluck Jonathan, is also to be interviewed by the senators in a bid to unravel the truth relating to the authenticity of the claim by the army that the land belongs to it.

It will be recalled that since the Nigerian Army drove out workers of the KCE Limited on September 3 and took over the land, most of the 400 plot owners, who had been developing their property, have also been denied access to the site.

The plight of the property owners has been worsened by the fact that there has been no word of consolation by the FCDA more than two weeks after the seizure of the land and denial of access by soldiers, who are now keeping watch over it.

“We are on order from the Chief of the Army Staff to take over this place and not to allow anyone in or out of the premises,” a soldier, mounting sentry at the first gate of the Maitama District Extension, warned a journalist, who attempted to penetrate the compound. “It was one of our generals, who led the team of soldiers to take over this place last night but we do not know the reason for our being here,” the soldier said but refused to give his name.

But two days after the furore generated by the development, the Nigerian Army formally admitted taking over the land, laying claim to its ownership.
The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, who signed the statement, said: “The said property is on Nigerian Army land and the army will not allow anybody to encroach on its land.
“Consequently, the property has been sealed to prevent further encroachment”.