Special Adviser to Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, Mr. Jimi Lawal, accused of masterminding illegal take-over of a land belonging to a Kaduna-based business woman, Hajia Fatima Teidi, has absolved himself of blame in the controversy, while confirming his knowledge of the disputed land.

Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State

According to Lawal, the land, which has become a subject of litigation, had nothing to do with him as the contentious land was between the complainant’s company and Kaduna State government.

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The governor’s aide disclosed that he was never directly involved in any land deal, saying whatever issues on the land was between the Kaduna State government and a company.

However, in a petition by Hajia Teidi, she submitted that the land in question was purchased by her and her husband, the late General Teidi, in the name of their company in 1989 from another company.

Hajia Teidi claimed that after about three failed attempts by some other people to take over the land she allegedly bought from NFS Foods Nigeria Limited in 1989, she was advised by some people to approach Lawal, being a fellow Yoruba man as Hajia Teidi and a stakeholder in the government of Kaduna State for intervention.

She explained that after the advice, she called Lawal on phone and explained her predicaments over the land to him.

She said while Lawal promised to help look at the complications around the failed attempts by some other interests to take over the land from her, she was asked to drop all necessary documents, which could help prove her ownership of the land and which would make the Kaduna State authorities ensure that she got justice.

Hajia Teidi further said she was, however, surprised last year, when her lawyer allegedly got a call from Lawal who advised that she should forget about the land and that possibly another land would be allocated to her by the state government.

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“That was a surprise to me. The same Jimi Lawal to whom I took my problem and who since I dropped all my land documents with, never called me or got back to me to update me on the situation with the land,” she said.