Police Officer Falls Victim Of Fraudulent Land Deals In Nassarawa

The proximity of Nassarawa State to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has made the communities adjacent to the nation’s capital a second choice for many workers in the FCT, who are unable to cope with the high cost of rents or own houses of their own.

The development has increased the surge in land deals thus made many prospective buyers, fall victims of fraudulent transactions in which a plot of land is sold to many buyers.

In most cases, land dealers sell off plots of lands without the knowledge and or consent of the actual land owners they do not know or ever met.

In spite of the fact many of such dubious land speculators have been arrested by the police, monies recovered and even some in sent to jail as a result of such fraudulent practices, the activities of the land dealers have continue to increase.

One of the latest victims in the series of such fraud, was a police officer, who innocently bought a land on behalf of his younger brother, from a dealer, without the consent of the owner of the plot of land.

The suspect, one Adamu Garba from Mararaba area of Nassarawa state, with his accomplices sold the land to Umar Yahaya, who was made to transfer of Three million, three hundred thousand Naira in favour of Adamu Garba to Guaranty Trust Bank account number 0233933053 on July 25, 2022.

However, trouble started at the point of excavation for the construction of a parameter fence when the real owner of the land surfaced and demanded why his plot of land was being taking over without his consent. It was at that point that Adamu Garba, who sold the land was summoned.

The owner of that piece of land measuring one thousand square meters, disclosed that, she has not sold or instructed any one to sell her piece of land.

Following the development, the victim formally filed a complaint with the police authorities, who swiftly moved in and arrested the land dealer – Adamu Garba and was eventually detained with a secured Court order for two weeks.

While in detention, Adamu Garba refunded part of the money he collected for the land he sold with the consent of the owner and pledged to pay the balance when released on bail.

The matter however took a different dimension, when he resorted to blackmail as he failed to appear of pay the balance of the money on the agreed date and time but, resorted to blackmail as he went and took photograph of some houses of different landlords in the same neighbourhood, got media consultancy company, Karamci, to petition against the same person he defrauded, that as a civil servant, he should not have an income to buy ten houses.

The Karamchi company wrote the petition without verifying the allegations and went ahead to petition various government institutions against Umar Yahaya.

The public servant has however vowed that he would not succumb to the cheap blackmail but would ensure that he get the refund of the money he paid to Adamu Garba.

Adamu Garba, who is presently on the run, had in a confessional video made to the police, said he was invited by the leaders of land dealers in Mararraba, Abuja-Keffi highway, to claim that land and sell after which they would share the proceed.