Kogi Council Chairman Denies Sale of LG Property

Ibrahim Oyewale

The Chairman of Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, Mr. Ibrahim Abagwu, has denied the claims that he sold some property belonging to the council.

Abagwu said that the malicious publications in a faceless online media   were orchestrated by some faceless people to smear his reputation as the executive chairman of the local government.

He described that allegation on Monday as mischievous speculations during a press conference in Lokoja.  

He was alleged to have sold the local government’s chairman quarters, Ankpa Hotel, Ankpa vegetable market behind special day secondary school Ankpa and the Agric. Quarters behind Ankpa Local Government’s secretariat.

Abagwu explained that the issue surrounding the sale of chairman’s quarters was an aged long litigation between one Mr. B.S Musa Oganaji, who was said to have lent some money to the local government to pay staff salary some years ago.

He noted that the case was handled by Ankpa Upper Area Court and in a judgment delivered on December 21, 2021, the court gave an enrolled order which read as follows: “We have gone through the motion exparte, the affidavit in support and attached affidavit of Edwin Tebu along with the law upon which this application is
made.

“The chief bailiff of this court or any other officer authorised in that behalf is hereby directed to attach the immoveable property of the judgment debtor to wit: the Ankpa LG Chairman quarters along Enugu Road, Ankpa and the Ankpa LG Counselors Quarters, located in Ankpa town.”

The council chairman said that the judgment delivered by the Ankpa Upper Area Court put Ankpa LG Chairman quarters on sale, adding that the local government appealed the judgment on the sales of the chairman’s quarters.

According to him, “Ankpa Hotel belongs to Kogi State Government and is still standing, the land surrounding it belong to Ankpa LG and the land becomes a criminal hideout and a place for kidnappers as such the land was allocate to Ankpa prominent sons and daughters to develop. The hotel is a state property and it is not sold.

“Also, the Ankpa Local Government’s vegetable market is behind the Special Day Secondary School. It is not new that the place is the proposed vegetable market, over the time it has turned to a refuse dump, the current administration cleared it and allocated it to those who can build it so that the aims can be achieved.

“Agric Quarters behind Ankpa Local Government’s secretariat is a state government land and the local government does not have any business whatsoever with it,” he stated.

He noted that the content of the write up is false and irresponsible, saying he had nothing to do with the published sales of the local government property.

“The misleading publication was a clear attempt to tarnish my image. The write up alleged among other issues that I had sold the council property.

“This is untrue and a figment of imagination of the mischievous author(s) of the misguided publication,” he said.